


No Man's Land

by TipsyRaconteur



Category: Naruto
Genre: Banter, Biting, Canon Divergence, Crack, Creative use of hand-mouths, Deidara Lives, Dirty Talk, F/M, Fluff, Gratuitous use of a nickname, Light Bondage, Love Bites, Magic Birdie Ride, Minor Gaara/Uzumaki Naruto, Oral Sex, Semi-Public Sex, Sexual Tension, Some angst, This was supposed to be a one-shot and now I'm in love with Deidara, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:48:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 61,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23656375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TipsyRaconteur/pseuds/TipsyRaconteur
Summary: When Naruto begged Sakura to come with him to a bar that lay on the fringes of Suna and Konoha, Sakura gave in and decided—for once—to have some fun.That was where Deidara came in.- - - - - -"You're Akatsuki!" Sakura sputtered. Wasn't he supposed to be dead?A slow, lazy smile crossed Deidara's face. "And with as little chill as you have, you must be a Leaf nin."She took that as the insult it was clearly meant to be, especially since her Konoha hitae-ate was in its usual place holding back her hair. "Screw you!"His eyes briefly flickered over her body. "Maybe later, yeah."
Relationships: Deidara/Haruno Sakura, Haruno Sakura & Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura & Yamanaka Ino
Comments: 601
Kudos: 543





	1. The way you piss me off

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! So, I had this little idea. And that idea was supposed to be a DeiSaku smutty one-shot. But then it turned out I really liked writing Deidara banter, and then something vaguely resembling a plot started happening, and things just kind of spun out of control. This is pure crack, and you should not take it seriously—and although it takes a few chapters to start happening, this story is full of smut, so stay hydrated! I wanted to save this for a rarepair event, but a quarantine is the perfect time for some DeiSaku if you ask me. 
> 
> Additionally, "no man's land" is a term for disputed ground between two armies, or an indeterminate/undefined place or state. 
> 
> Finally, this story wouldn't have happened without the support of Nyxako, my amazing beta. Some changes have been made after the beta-ing process, however, so any mistakes are mine alone. Enjoy!

"Come on, Sakura-chan! Don't look so scared." 

"I'm not scared." Sakura scowled, stopping behind Naruto as she allowed her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting of the building she'd just entered. 

She hadn't seen so many dangerous-looking ninja in one place since the war. The spacious room that she stood in was filled to the brim with shinobi wearing a multitude of hitae-ate from different countries, many of them with the telltale slash that designated a missing-nin. Some were clustered around various tables, some were in the booths that lined the walls, and even more were crowding the scarred wooden bar at the center of the room. It felt like all of them turned and stared when Naruto and Sakura walked in.

"This was a horrible idea," Sakura hissed at Naruto under her breath, scowling.

Naruto turned big, pleading blue eyes on her. "Come on, Sakura-chan. No Man's Land is supposed to be the coolest place in the borderlands." Lowering his voice in a show of subtlety that she would've thought was beyond him, he added, "And this is the best place for me and Gaara to meet right now." 

Sakura softened. When Naruto had confessed to her that he and Gaara had fallen for each other, Sakura had been overjoyed for them both. Her joy had been short-lived, however, as Naruto explained their predicament—with Gaara acting as Suna's current Kazekage, and Naruto being groomed to be the next Hokage, their relationship had political ramifications that they weren't quite ready to deal with. Their solution was to meet in secret at No Man's Land, an infamous bar and inn located in the borderlands between Suna and Konoha, somewhere between Ame and Tani that didn't belong to any country.

When Sakura had asked around about No Man's Land, she'd mostly gotten confused looks and uncomfortable denials, until one of Kakashi-sensei's personal ANBU detail had taken it upon herself to pull Sakura aside and fill her in. Apparently, the bar was one of several such neutral establishments that existed in the ninja world, operating on the periphery of any country or its laws. There were only two rules, the first being simple, if surprising for ninja: No fighting. The second rule was even simpler: what happened in No Man's Land stayed in No Man's Land.

"Listen," Naruto said, pulling her out of the doorway and interrupting her thoughts. "I promise we'll only be... three hours." When Sakura glared at him, he immediately wilted and said, "One! One hour! Pleeease, Sakura-chan?"

Yanking her hand out of his grasp, Sakura crossed her arms. "What the hell am I supposed to do while you're… busy? I don't even get why I have to be here."

Naruto pouted. "Because the trip here is boring by myself. Besides, you need a break from working all the time."

Sakura rolled her eyes with a sigh. Lately, Naruto had been hounding her about having more fun, and it was getting old. "Fine," she said, but Naruto was already looking over her shoulder and lighting up at what he saw. Following his gaze, Sakura saw Gaara standing on the shadowy landing of a flight of stairs that led up to the next level.

"Great!" Naruto exclaimed, patting her distractedly on the shoulder. "Just have a drink and relax, and I'll find you in an hour." Starting to move past her toward the stairs, he paused for a minute and reminded her, "Oh, and don't get in any fights. They don't allow that here."

"I know," Sakura seethed, irritated at the implication that she couldn't control herself—irritated at the entire situation, actually. But Naruto was already a blur headed in the direction of the stairs, and moments later she watched him sling an arm around Gaara's waist and pull him out of sight.

Suddenly feeling very alone—and very exposed to the various eyes she could feel on her—Sakura straightened her spine, lifted her chin, and made her way to the bar. If she cursed Naruto with every step, well, that was her business. 

The bar was pretty busy, but toward the back of the room, where it attached to the wall, there were a few empty stools. Chewing on her lip, Sakura slid onto the one closest to the wall, smoothing the split skirt of her apron as she sat. She suddenly wished she'd worn something else as she caught a man further down the bar eyeing her legs. When his eyes met hers, she gave him the best death glare she was capable of, and he quickly looked elsewhere.

When one of the bartenders came over to greet her and take her order, she begrudgingly asked for a small bottle of sake. After all, she had an hour to kill, and with her ability to control her own metabolism, it wasn't like she had to worry about getting too drunk. 

When the warm bottle and single cup was set in front of her, she poured her first cup and took a small sip. Being Tsunade's apprentice had given her a discerning taste in liquor, but she was surprised to find that it tasted excellent—at least she didn't have to spend an hour drinking shit sake. She supposed things could be worse. 

She had passed about 45 minutes this way, sipping lightly at her sake and listening to the music, when she sensed movement to her right. There was a distinct plunking sound as a mug of beer was set down on the bar beside her. Sakura watched from the corner of her eye as someone with long, silky blonde hair that reminded her of Ino's sat down on the stool beside her. The resemblance to her friend was enough to catch her attention further, and she turned her head slightly to get a better look. 

Although she hadn't been sure at first, the toned chest and abdomen that lay beneath a cropped sleeveless shirt and mesh armor let her know that he was a man. What really caught her attention, however, was the horizontal seam that bisected the man's hand, which was reaching for the mug of beer again. Frowning slightly as something—some memory—tingled at the back of her brain, Sakura glanced up at his face, startled to find that he was very, very pretty. Bright blue eyes met hers just as her brain began ringing alarm bells. It had been several years since the Bingo Books had contained his picture, but she remembered it all the same.

"It's rude to stare, yeah," he drawled before taking a long drink of his beer.

Sakura bolted up out of her stool. "You're Deidara!"

"So?" Deidara fired back. "You know me or something?" His eyes narrowed slightly as he studied her face. 

"You're Akatsuki!" Sakura sputtered. Wasn't he supposed to be dead?

A slow, lazy smile crossed his face. "And with as little chill as you have, you must be a Leaf nin."

She took that as the insult it was clearly meant to be, especially since her Konoha hitae-ate was in its usual place holding back her hair. "Screw you!"

His eyes briefly flickered over her body. "Maybe later, yeah."

Without thinking, Sakura made a fist and was just about to swing it into his stupidly pretty face when she was hit by the suffocating feeling of chakra boiling over to the point of a killing rage. It wasn't coming from Deidara—it was coming from the black-masked shinobi that suddenly surrounded her. There was still music playing from some unseen source, but other than that, the entire bar had gone silent.

Deidara smirked, looking unbothered by the situation. "Rein it in, hellcat. You can't get away with fighting when you're here." He tilted his head, and a shiny golden lock fell over one of his extraordinarily blue eyes. "Calm the fuck down and drink your drink."

Suddenly very embarrassed—and very aware that, once again, every eye in the place was on her—Sakura lowered her fist and slid back onto her stool. In a blink the black-masked nin were gone, and in another short moment the people around them had resumed their conversations. 

Somewhat cowed, Sakura spent the next long minutes focused on nursing her sake and pointedly ignoring Deidara. Meanwhile, he finished his beer and ordered another, but he didn't say anything to her. Irritated for reasons that she couldn't name, she finally glanced to the side—and her eyes met his. He grinned at her, and she snapped her gaze away with an annoyed huff.

"Not sure why you're so riled up. It's not like I ever fought you—I would've remembered that, yeah." His tone was light but suggestive, like he'd have more reason that her fighting skill to remember her. 

Trying not to clench her jaw, Sakura bit out, "You didn't fight me, but you _killed_ the Kazekage, and you fought my sensei, and my teammate Sasuke—"

He snorted rudely, cutting her off as he set his beer back down on the bar. "That asshole? I feel sorry for you if he was your teammate."

Sakura glowered at him. After all, she may have moved on from her doomed relationship with Sasuke, but that didn't mean she was going to put up with anyone insulting one of her former teammates. "Don't talk about him like you know him."

"Fighting someone is one of the best ways to get to know them," he fired back. Leaning closer, he lowered his voice slightly and asked, "Wanna fight me, hellcat?"

Sakura scoffed, repressing the urge to lean away from him. Like hell was she going to act intimidated. "You want to get to know me now?"

His teeth were even and white as he grinned at her again. "Oh, I definitely want to get to know you. You gonna tell me your name?"

"I'm not telling you anything," Sakura said, tipping her chin up before finishing the last of her first cup of sake. 

"So, you're saying you like it when I called you hellcat, yeah?" he retorted smugly. 

Sakura scowled as she poured herself another cup. "You know, it would make total sense that you're one of those guys who thinks everyone wants him just because he's pretty."

That just made his grin grow wider. "Hmm. You think I'm pretty?" He nudged her slightly with his elbow, and she most certainly did not notice how the movement made the muscles of his arm flex. "C'mon, tell me your name."

Beginning to get a little flustered by the fact that, in spite of herself, she couldn't help but keep noticing how attractive he was, she blurted in exasperation. "If I tell you, will you back off?"

"Maybe," he replied, one black-nailed finger tracing the mouth of his mug.

"...Sakura," she said reluctantly. 

He looked thoughtfully at her hair, and then down to her mouth for some reason, before replying. "It suits you... but not like hellcat does," he said with that same disarming grin.

Sakura rolled her eyes and looked away again. The whole conversation was so strange. Here she was, trying to mind her own business, and this notorious missing-nin—who was _supposed_ to be dead, damn it—was flirting with her. Her loyalty to her village, her teammates, even to Suna, demanded that she take revenge for the things Deidara had done. Half of her wanted to hit him as hard as she could... but the other half of her wanted to run and hide so he wouldn't see the flustered heat that was rising to her cheeks. She couldn't do the first without getting her ass handed to her, and she couldn't do the second without losing face.

So, she just sat and sipped her drink, and hoped that would be the end of it. A few minutes later, however, she noticed the seam on his hand opening and a long, dexterous tongue flicking out to capture a drop of beer that was sliding down the side of his mug. Forgetting herself, she watched the movement in fascination, only snapping her eyes away when she heard Deidara chuckle.

"See something interesting?" he asked in a teasing voice.

"I'm a medic," she replied defensively. "I assure you, it's purely professional interest."

"You can take a closer look if you want," he offered, sliding his right hand toward her, palm up. "Medics always want to look." 

"I—" she began, but she faltered. He was right. Maybe it was the effect of the sake she was drinking, but she wanted to look—more than anything. Setting her mouth in a thin line, she gingerly took his hand in both of hers. Holding it with her left, she lightly probed at the mouth on his palm with the fingers of her right. When it suddenly opened and nipped at her with sharp teeth, she gasped, nearly dropping his hand.

Deidara smirked as she glared at him. "Come on, like I could help myself." 

"Well, stop it," Sakura hissed. She should've dropped his hand like a hot potato, but she was too fascinated. Carefully bringing her fingers back toward its mouth, she watched as it opened again, showing sharp-looking teeth and, within, that tongue that flicked at her fingers. Ignoring the obvious taunt, she said, "I've never seen a kekkei genkai like this. Does everyone in your family have them?"

His expression changed, darkening slightly, and he evasively answered, "Let's not talk about my family, yeah?"

It was obviously a sore subject. Losing sight of the fact that she, a Leaf nin, was currently talking to someone who was definitely an enemy of her village, Sakura automatically said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up anything uncomfortable."

"Mm," Deidara hummed noncommittally. 

There was an awkward pause, during which Sakura nearly forgot that she was holding his hand and probing at the mouth on its palm. The silence was interrupted by the mouth pursing and making a loud smooching sound as it pressed against the finger it had previously nipped. 

Sakura gave a startled laugh in spite of herself, releasing his hand, and Deidara gave her a lopsided smile. "Sorry, Righty has a mind of his own." He held up the hand in question and it clicked its teeth at her.

Inexplicably, Sakura found herself returning his smile with a small, exasperated quirk of her lips. "You call it Righty? Let me guess—the other one is Lefty?"

"Are you sure you want to bring him into this?" Holding up his other hand, Deidara's eyes glinted dangerously as he teased, "Lefty's the naughty one." To support his statement, the mouth on his left hand opened and waggled its tongue lewdly at her. 

The sake was definitely affecting her, because Sakura's mind immediately flew to exactly what he could do with a hand like that. It wasn't like she was a virgin, but she could still feel herself turning red and she ducked her head slightly, knowing her protest sounded weaker than she intended as she muttered, "You're an idiot."

His long, unbound hair brushed her arm as he leaned close enough to murmur, "You're cute when you blush, yeah."

Mortified, Sakura fought the urge to clap her hands over her cheeks, focusing instead on taking a long, fortifying sip of her sake. She glared at him as he chuckled again, leaning back and thankfully giving her space as he took a drink himself. 

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto's voice carried over the din of the bar—Naruto's voice always carried—and, startled, Sakura jerked her head around in time to watch him barrel down the stairs and make a beeline for her. 

The bottom dropped out of her stomach. How the hell was she going to explain to the future leader of Konoha that she was passing time with a member of Akatsuki? No—how was she going to explain to the future leader of Konoha that she was passing time with a member of Akatsuki and _blushing_? "Naruto, I—"

"Isn't this place just great? I love it so much," Naruto enthused, completely bowling over whatever defense she'd been about to utter. "Did you have fun? My, ah, friend wants me to meet him here again in a month." For the first time, Sakura noticed that the smile pasted on his face was a dreamy one, and he had a flush of color in his own cheeks. His hair was sticking out in a way that told her that _someone_ had definitely been grabbing it. 

Forgetting her embarrassment for a moment, she teased, "You look like _you_ had fun."

"Gaa—I mean, my friend is amazing." That dreamy smile grew even bigger. Then, for the first time, Naruto seemed to register that there was someone sitting next to her, and he distractedly said, "Oh. Hi Deidara."

"Yo," Deidara offered, finishing the last of his beer. Sakura's jaw dropped at the complete and utter casualness with which they addressed each other. 

"Are you ready to go?" Naruto asked, wrapping a hand around her wrist and tugging her off the stool. "I know it was a little longer than an hour. I hope you're not mad at me. You're still going to come with me next time, right?" He flashed her a winning smile.

Not willing to admit that she'd had absolutely no idea that much time had passed, Sakura tossed her hair and said, "Pay for my sake and I'll consider it."

"I've got it," Deidara said as he stood, pulling a wad of ryo out of his pocket and leaving it on the bar. Tucking a wave of silky blonde hair behind one ear, he flashed her a wink and added, "See you next time, Sakura." 

Stunned, Sakura didn't even get a chance to reply as Naruto pulled her toward the door, chattering happily about his "friend" in a stream of enthusiasm that Sakura was able to ignore through years of practice. Looking over her shoulder, she caught sight of Deidara disappearing up the same stairs that Naruto had come down, before her vision was cut off by Naruto yanking her outside and the door shutting behind her. 

Whipping her head around, Sakura interrupted Naruto by hissing, "That was Deidara!"

"So?" he replied, obviously still in a pleasant haze from seeing Gaara.

Sakura felt like her eyes were going to bug out of her head. Naruto's complete lack of concern made her feel like she was going crazy. "He's an enemy of Konoha!"

"Who cares?" Naruto said, folding his arms behind his head as he began to saunter down the road that would lead them back to Fire Country. "It's No Man's Land, Sakura-chan. There are no enemies here!"

Sakura stood there in shock, staring after him. Finally, she snapped, "So, what, you get laid once and suddenly everyone's your friend?" She flailed her arms slightly. "You've fought him, Naruto. So has Kakashi-sensei, and Sasuke! He _killed_ Gaara—he's the reason Granny Chiyo had to die to bring him back!"

Naruto stopped, dropping his hands to his sides as he turned to face her, and this time his expression was a serious one that he seldom wore. "Look... I wanted to kill him the first time I saw him there. Gaara was the one who stopped me." He let that sink in, and Sakura blinked in surprise as he continued, "He's not a part of Akatsuki anymore, Sakura-chan. Apparently, he never wanted to join them in the first place. Maybe it's all just bullshit—but if it's good enough for Gaara, it's good enough for me." And just like that, he had that stupid dreamy smile on his face again. 

Sakura opened her mouth, and then closed it again. The situation was just too much for her brain to take in all at once.

"Besides," Naruto added, his smile growing a little more devious. "You looked like you didn't think he was so bad. Didn't you just spend an hour talking to him?"

And just like that, Sakura could feel her face heating up again. "It wasn't the whole hour," she protested.

Naruto's only answer was a boisterous laugh and an impish look over his shoulder as he called, "Don't worry, maybe you'll see him again next time." Without waiting for an answer, he launched into a run.

Growling under her breath, Sakura broke into a run herself—but all the way back to Konoha, she had to aggressively fight off the frisson of excitement she'd felt at the idea of returning next month.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize that Deidara's hands aren't an actual kekkei genkai; that will be addressed in a future chapter. See you next time!


	2. The way you kiss me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for everyone who's reviewed and encouraged me! I'm beyond excited that there are people interested in this story!
> 
> I do want to briefly say that this story initially existed for no reason other than to write Deidara smut. Therefore, I had to find a way to kind of push things along so it didn't end up being a 30-chapter slow burn that would take the rest of the year to write. With that in mind, please take Sakura's character in this story with a grain of salt the size of Deidara's ego. I believe everyone can turn a little wild in the right instance, and that is a hill I will die on!

Over the next month, Sakura did her best to put her visit to No Man's Land—and her introduction to Deidara—out of her mind. Since her chosen workload didn't even leave time for friends, she was able to keep very busy, but in those brief minutes between shifts or before she went to sleep, her mind had continued to stray back to their meeting.

When he wasn't in front of her, she could admit that she found his antagonistic teasing kind of charming. Although it had made her want to hit him at more than one point, the banter between them had been _fun_. It was somewhere around the midpoint of the month when she came to the horrified realization that meeting Deidara had provided her with the most excitement she'd had in months—maybe even longer.

The fact that he was so easy on the eyes definitely didn't hurt—and she was _definitely_ not ready to admit to the rather dirty thoughts she'd had about what his hands could do.

Of course, a big part of her was horrified that her thoughts were turning to him so constantly. He'd been a vicious enemy of Konoha for years, and enmities like that didn't fade easily. Spending time with him like she'd been doing could be tantamount to treason, even if it was unlikely that she'd be charged—after all, her former sensei was the current Hokage, and he would be pretty biased in her favor. Even Naruto, unofficially the next Hokage, had seemed okay with her spending time with Deidara; the fact that Deidara had made amends with Gaara seemed to carry a lot of weight with him.

Still, she spent the last several days before their next trip to the border telling herself that it was all moot. From what Naruto had told her, most of the shinobi that frequented No Man's Land were transient and didn't stay around for very long. It was pretty unlikely that she would see Deidara there again, and that was probably a good thing. But when she'd woken up that day—the day she was supposed to join Naruto and go back to the infamous bar and inn—she couldn't deny the way her stomach had been stirring nervously.

And there was absolutely no excuse for the fact that, rather than wear her usual medic gear, she'd instead worn a cute skirt and top that she'd borrowed from Ino.

Sakura smoothed the skirt down after she dropped out of the trees and landed on the ground in front of No Man's Land, glad that Naruto was in front of her and couldn't see the slightly nervous gesture. It was clear she needn't have worried, however, because Naruto turned to face her with the distracted expression of someone in love. He practically had hearts in his eyes.

"Hey, thanks for coming with me again, Sakura-chan," he said, beaming. "You're such a good friend, and I appreciate you giving me this time with Gaara _so_ much." Clearly done with buttering her up, he wheedled, "Think you could give me two hours this time?"

Sakura frowned. "No way. One hour was long enough."

Naruto smiled slyly. "Actually, it was more like an hour and a half last time, remember?"

"Well, it was long enough," Sakura huffed.

"Just two little hours," Naruto pleaded over his shoulder as he turned and walked toward the door. Sakura followed him, ignoring his pleas as they both stepped through the large wooden door.

Sakura blinked in the dim lighting, and the first thing she saw when her eyes adjusted was the sight of Naruto grinning mischievously as he looked out ahead of them. "Perfect. I'll be back in two hours. Try to have fun for once!" Without another word he was off, weaving through people and heading for the stairs.

"Wait—" Sakura began, about to tell him _again_ that she totally knew how to have fun, but he was already gone. Scowling, she looked out in front of her, following the path Naruto's eyes had taken.

Across the room, Deidara was sitting in one of the booths that had been built into the wall beside the bar. He was slouching comfortably, a beer in his hand—and he was smirking at her.

Sakura's lips parted slightly with surprise, only to twist back into a scowl as she stomped across the room and came to a stop in front of his table, stabbing the air with her finger. "Are you stalking me or something?"

Deidara's bright blue eyes studied her face for a brief moment, and then he lazily smiled as he replied, "Absolutely."

Sakura's eyebrows knitted as she attempted to ignore the fluttering feeling in her traitorous stomach. "That's really creepy."

"Hey, if you don't want me to wait for you, you'd better tell your friend not to announce when you're coming back so loudly," he said unrepentantly.

Naruto. He _had_ talked about returning in a month rather loudly during their last visit, but Sakura hadn't realized that Deidara was listening. Scowling again, Sakura turned on her heel and marched the ten feet to the bar, dropping stubbornly onto a stool and signaling the bartender. She completely ignored Deidara as she ordered a small bottle of sake.

From behind her, he called out, "Aww, c'mon hellcat. Don't be like that." He sounded amused as hell, which made her grit her teeth together. "I promise I'll be on my best behavior, yeah."

At this point, other people in the bar were noticing him calling out to her, and Sakura flushed with embarrassment. She did not for one _second_ think that his smirk was appealing when she turned toward him and hissed, "Shut up!"

He gave a still-amused pout. "I'll shut up if you come sit with me."

"You're obnoxious!" she bit out, turning her head with a flip of her hair and accepting the bottle and cup that were placed in front of her.

"When you come in here dressed all cute like that, I can't help myself."

At that, two of the men sitting at the bar beside Sakura snickered, eyeing her themselves. She definitely shouldn't have worn the skirt.

Sakura hesitated for a moment. Another man leaned around the first two, raising his eyebrows in appraisal. Suddenly deciding that sitting with Deidara was better than being eyed by an increasing number of strange shinobi—at least, that was the excuse she gave herself—she grabbed her bottle of sake and empty cup and walked stiffly back over to his table. She set them both down firmly, just barely managing not to slam the ceramic down in the empty spot across from Deidara. Glaring at him as she dropped inelegantly into the seat, she snapped, "I don't like you."

He smiled, his eyes glinting in the low light. "I don't like you, either."

"Liar." The word was out of her mouth before she could even think about it, and her eyes widened slightly—she was _not_ flirting with him, damn it.

"Maybe," Deidara responded carelessly, reaching across the table to take her bottle of sake and pouring a liberal amount into her cup.

Raising her eyebrows, Sakura asked, "Oh, so you're a gentleman now?"

His teeth flashed at her in a grin. "Name one thing about me that would make you think I'm not a gentleman, yeah?"

Sakura made a little exasperated noise. "How about literally everything about you? Not to mention you're a member of one of the most bloodthirsty missing-nin groups in shinobi history."

Deidara seemed unbothered by the implied judgement in her words as he placed the bottle back on the table, taking a drink from his own beer before he answered, "Former member. I'm retired."

She rolled her eyes. "Like that makes a difference."

He still seemed completely unphased as he finally pushed the cup of sake toward her. "I think it's pretty impressive to be retired at 27." One corner of his mouth lifted. "Are you impressed yet?"

"Don't hold your breath," she replied haughtily, as if she hadn't been charmed by his crooked smile. She also didn't want to admit that she was a little impressed—at 23, she was proud to have the position she held at the hospital, but it would be decades until she had the money to retire. Brushing past that, she picked up her cup and took what she thought of as a ladylike sip before asking, "Remind me why I'm here again?"

His eyes held hers, his smile growing as he said, "Because you're the hottest woman in this bar and I'm trying to make time with you."

Damn it, she could feel her face getting hot. "Yeah, well, you're not going to get anywhere. Why don't you just find some drunk idiot to occupy yourself with?"

"Because talking to you is more fun than fucking them." He eyed her. "Usually."

Sakura scowled again, hoping it would hide her red cheeks. "You're an idiot!"

"That's more like it." He grinned, leaning across the table. "I like it when you get mean."

"Good, because you deserve it," Sakura answered with forced loftiness.

Deidara's grin grew wolfish as he leaned back in his seat again. "Well, you can punish me any time, yeah." His words were dripping with suggestion, and she could have sworn that his eyes were darker than they'd been moments before.

Sakura sputtered and had no retort for him, and that just made her irritated that he'd gotten the last word. He was just better at this than her—she ended up surrendering to the flustered feeling he caused and focusing instead on the cup she was gripping between her hands on the old wooden table.

His voice was softer than before but still amused as he murmured, "Don't get shy on me now, hellcat. You can't let me win that easy."

She narrowed her eyes as she looked at him again, irritated by the teasing smile on his annoyingly pretty face. "Shut up."

"That's the spirit." Lifting his beer for another drink, he stopped just before it reached his mouth and added, "Besides, if you don't stay mad, you'll end up spending all of your time thinking about kissing me."

A little gasp of indignation left her without her express permission. The sheer audacity of his statement made her want to hit him, but of course her great betrayer of a brain was suddenly thinking about _exactly_ what it would be like to kiss him. She could feel herself blushing again. Damn it. What was wrong with her?

Most of his face disappeared as he upended his mug, finishing his beer, but she could see the way the one corner of his mouth that she could see was curling upward. With the beer finished, he lowered the empty mug to the table and then abruptly slid out of the booth. He took a step toward the bar and stopped beside her, leaning down.

Sakura froze. As he leaned closer his hair fell forward, silkily brushing against her nose. As if she was moving underwater, she turned slowly toward him, the back of her mind screaming. He was looking at her mouth and close enough for their breaths to mingle, and as much as she knew she should put a stop to the situation, she found herself unable to move.

When his mouth was a mere inch from hers, he suddenly stopped, a wicked smirk crossing his lips. "Be right back," he said casually, picking up his empty mug and proceeding past her to the bar.

Sakura blinked owlishly as she was abandoned, hearing the receding sound of him chuckling behind her. A flush passed over her body, some combination of righteous anger and confused attraction, and she had to fight the urge to scream. What the hell had _that_ been? It was like she was going crazy. She had plenty of reasons to not want to get involved with him, but in that moment, she'd been able to think of none of them—he'd surprised her, and against all reason, she'd actually wanted him to kiss her. And the smug look he'd given her let her know that he knew it.

That same smirk was playing around his mouth when he returned with a full beer in his hand. Rather than taking the seat across from her again, he dropped down into the empty space beside her without saying a word. Bracing her elbows on the table, Sakura stonily kept her face forward, studiously ignoring him as she took a fortifying sip of her sake.

"So, you're not just a medic."

Sakura was still distracted by how hard she was trying not to think about him almost kissing her. The change in topic surprised her enough to make her turn toward him. "What?"

With the hand that wasn't holding his beer, he reached up and tapped the purple seal on her forehead. "You're strong, too."

Raising her hand to her seal without thinking, she asked, "How do you know about that?"

"I've been reading up on you, yeah." Leaning back in his seat, he cocked his head thoughtfully as he looked at her. "I'm not the only one who's made it into the Bingo Books."

"You _are_ stalking me," she accused, while trying to remember exactly what the Bingo Books said about her.

"I already told you I was," he answered easily. "Try to keep up."

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him. "Has anyone ever told you how obnoxious you are?"

"Yep," he said, grinning. "That's what makes it weird that you like me so much."

"You're extraordinarily full of yourself," Sakura insisted, exasperated. She didn't miss the fact that it wasn't a denial, and she doubted he did, either.

"Don't worry. Play your cards right, and you can be full of me too," he replied without missing a beat. Before she could react beyond sputtering, he said, "You're one of the ones who killed my old partner. I didn't realize that the last time I saw you."

She hadn't been expecting that. Was this about to turn into a fight? "I—" she began, but she didn't know how to finish. What could she say? It's not like she was sorry.

Deidara watched her fumble for a second before lifting his shoulder in a careless shrug. "Whatever. He probably deserved it, yeah." Tilting his head, he continued, "Tell me about how you got your seal."

Spinning a little at another abrupt change of topic—how was he able to just switch trains of thought like that?—she blinked and asked, "You really want to know?"

"I asked, didn't I?" He watched her, expectant.

Slowly, not quite believing him, she began to tell him the story of becoming Tsunade's student, making sure she didn't tell him anything that would be considered a village secret. To her surprise he actually listened, watching her intently and asking occasional questions. Occasionally, he offered an anecdote about his own limited time as a student in his former village. It was... _nice_. She didn't even know how much time passed—she just knew that she was actually enjoying herself.

At some point, she became aware of the way he'd draped his arm lazily along the back of the booth. When one of his fingertips lightly traced the curve of her shoulder, she stiffened slightly, but surprised herself by not pulling away.

When she finished with recounting how long it had taken her to get the seal, and exactly what it allowed her to do—and was satisfied with how suitably impressed he was—she changed the subject. "How does your kekkei genkai work?"

She listened to him with great interest as he talked, not even hesitating as she began to examine the hand that wasn't idly toying with the hem of her shirt sleeve. Curious, she asked him to stick the tongue all the way out, and when he complied her eyes widened slightly. "It's longer than I thought it would be."

"I get that a lot," he replied smugly. Rolling her eyes, she began peppering him with medical questions.

When he couldn't answer them all, she pushed cool green chakra into his palm, exploring the fascinating mouth and its web of chakra lines. Following her more professional questions with sillier ones about bad breath and whether or not he had to brush them, she made him laugh, and for some reason, that pleased her.

"Why are you asking? Thinking about making out with them any time soon?" he asked with an impish smile. Before she could respond he lifted his hand from her grasp and brought it up to cup the side of her face, and she felt the somewhat absurd feeling of its mouth kissing her cheek.

Maybe it should've been gross. It definitely shouldn't have made her cheek warm up under his hand the way it did. She couldn't seem to help her attraction to him—it had been a long time since she'd had a charming man giving her his attention, and it had been even longer since she'd wanted to return it. She mentally flailed for something clever to say, but she was caught in his gaze, that brilliant blue that seemed even brighter than Naruto's.

Letting his hand fall to her neck, he pulled her a bit closer. His voice was huskier as he said, "You'd better be careful looking at me like that, yeah."

Sakura's hands twitched slightly where they'd fallen in her lap, like they were suddenly too empty, but she still held back. "Like what?"

"Like you're thinking about kissing me again," he murmured, that humor back in his voice again, his mouth only a breath away from hers. She felt the mouth on her neck move, closing with wet warmth onto the sensitive skin there, and when a little involuntary gasp flew from her lips, he closed the gap between them and kissed her.

She was too stunned by the situation to react at first. But then he tugged at her lower lip with his teeth, sending a wave of heat through her, and her mouth softened under his. She parted her lips and he quickly took advantage, tilting his head and deepening the kiss. Some distant part of her heard the little noise that she made in her throat, but that was swept from her mind by the brush of his tongue against hers, bold and unapologetic. Unable to stop herself, she kissed him back with an answering boldness that she hadn't known she was capable of.

It felt like she'd completely lost her mind. Her hands acted on their own, fisting themselves in the fabric that covered his chest as she closed her eyes, feeling a hunger that surprised her—but not enough to stop. The combination of her prior nervousness with the strong attraction she'd been denying had exploded within her, so that she was left breathlessly leaning into him, no longer willing to pretend that this wasn't what she wanted.

He made a rumbling sound not unlike a growl as he abruptly braced against the table with one hand and shoved it rudely over against the vacant bench across from them. Breaking from the kiss for the briefest of moments, he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her roughly into his lap, and then his hand was curling around the back of her neck and bringing her down for another searing kiss. Sakura felt her skirt ride up as she straddled him, completely lost to the dizzying want that she felt.

His free hand smoothed up the small of her back, beneath her top, and wherever his hands touched she could feel them tasting her. Her own fingers slid up into his hair—which was as silky as she'd imagined—tightening in the strands and producing another one of those low, hungry sounds from him. His hips ground up against her, and she could feel how hard he was through the fabric of his pants. Without thought, she rolled her hips down into his.

A single shocking, lustful thought— _I could fuck him right here_ —broke through the haze of need that was threatening to overwhelm her, and the alarm she felt at her own boldness made her pull back with a gasp. Then it all hit her: she was there in a public place, practically humping a missing-nin who was a known enemy to her village. And thinking about _sleeping_ with him.

Quickly disentangling her hands from his hair, she scrambled off of his lap, leaving a healthy space between them as she quickly smoothed her skirt down. She could feel that her entire face was on fire, and she prayed that no one had been able to see them in the dim lighting of the bar. Meanwhile her brain, which had finally woken up, screamed at her about the sheer insanity of what she'd just been engaged in.

"Doing okay over there?" she heard him say, his voice irritatingly jovial. Through her peripheral vision she could see him rake his hands through his doubtlessly mussed hair, and then adjust his pants. That last part made a renewed flush of embarrassment pass through her.

"I can't believe I just—" she whispered, unable to complete the sentence.

"Made out with me? Rode my dick a little?" he suggested, cheerfully enough to pass for Naruto.

Snapping her head toward him and glaring at the pleased expression on his face, she hissed, "I will _hit_ you!"

Grinning and not looking threatened in the slightest, he responded, "There's my hellcat."

"I am not yours!" she spat, despite the fact that her heart was still racing, and it was definitely because of him.

"Of course not," he soothed, lifting both his hands in mock surrender. The fact that both of the mouths on his palms seemed to be grinning did nothing to make him seem more sincere.

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him, daring him to say something else, but he just smiled with completely unbelievable innocence as he lowered his hands, grabbing his mug of beer. Deciding that his idea of drinking was a great one, she focused on her own sake—and her own thoughts, which were racing to process what the hell she'd just done.

To his credit Deidara held his tongue, watching her with raised brows as she finished her first cup of sake in one gulp, following it with a second cup without taking a break in between. Setting the empty cup down, she turned to him and opened her mouth to say something, _anything_ , but her attention was caught by a flash of orange over his shoulder.

Naruto. A flood of relief passed through her as she watched Naruto barrel down the stairs, his head on a swivel as he looked for her. Not quite making eye contact with Deidara, she quickly said, "I've got to go."

Without a word, but looking like he was badly hiding a grin, Deidara stood from the booth and moved out of the way so that she could get out. Naruto had caught sight of her with Deidara and had a devious look on his face as he made his way through the tables. Wanting to leave before he could arrive and say anything to make the situation worse, Sakura quickly slid out of the booth and made to go meet him before he could reach them. Deidara's fingers closing loosely around her wrist stopped her.

"You gonna come back next month?" There was still an upward quirk at the corner of his mouth, but for the first time since she met him, she actually heard some hesitation in his voice.

Feeling no small amount of hesitation herself, she took a second to think, but she knew there was only one answer. "Yes."

"Good," he said, his smile breaking through as he let go of her arm.

"Well, well, look at what we have—" Naruto was loudly beginning as he reached their booth, but Sakura grabbed him by the shoulders and bodily turned him, pushing him toward the exit.

"Not. Another. Word," she said through gritted teeth as she forced them both to beeline for the door. Naruto just laughed, clearly highly entertained by the whole situation.

After they'd both gone through the swinging door and stepped into the sunlight, Naruto spun out of her grasp, giving her a toothy grin as he eyed her. "You looked like you were finally learning how to have some fun. What did you—is that a _hickey?_ " he blurted, interrupting himself as his eyes homed in on the spot on her neck where Deidara's hand had been.

Sakura was unable to suppress a squeak as she clapped her hand over her neck, feeling the blood drain out of her face. "Shut up!" was the only thing she could think of to say before she began running in the direction of Konoha, hoping the wind on her face would cure her utter mortification.

Naruto's tickled laughter followed her the entire way home.


	3. The way you touch me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey folks! Just a heads up that the "biting" and "love bites" tags have been belatedly added to this story, just in case that's one of your squicks. Also, for those who missed it after the first chapter, the Naruto/Gaara relationship tag has been downgraded to Minor Naruto/Gaara, as I mistakenly used the wrong tag when I first posted. 
> 
> Here is where the smut begins, so don't read this in public. Or do. I'm an author's note, not a cop.

Sakura took a deep breath as she looked up at the big sign outside of No Man's Land, the evening's light breeze playing through the skirt of the green summer dress she wore.

She'd spent the whole month losing her mind over the fact that she'd kissed Deidara—the mad bomber of Akatsuki himself. It was insane. One minute she'd been telling him off, and the next she'd been in his lap, kissing him like she was going to rip his clothes off. She'd barely had one cup of sake at that point, too, and that was way below her Tsunade-influenced tolerance level, so it wasn't like she could blame the alcohol.

All she could blame was her completely inexplicable attraction to Deidara. 

Naruto, of course, had taken every opportunity to mercilessly tease her about it. He'd only stopped after she'd hissed that she would tell everyone about _his_ little secret lover. It was an empty threat, of course, since she would never do that to him. Still, he'd promised to go easier on her after that—after all, he couldn't have the village elders panic over the political ramifications of their future Hokage dating the current Kazekage.

That left Sakura alone to cope with her feelings about kissing Deidara. She had almost— _almost_ —decided to confide in Ino about it, but she thought that the temptation of such salacious gossip would be too much of a test of Ino's confidentiality. Besides, Sakura wasn't sure how she felt about it yet, and didn't want Ino's strong opinions to influence her. 

Actually, that wasn't really true—Sakura knew exactly how she felt. It was just that she was managing to have two conflicting feelings at the same time. The first was loyalty to her village; no matter how secret the goings-on of No Man's Land were supposed to be, she couldn't help but feel like she was betraying Konoha to carry on with one of its former enemies. The fact that Naruto had seemed to vaguely approve of the situation—he didn't flat-out disapprove, at least—carried a lot of weight, but Naruto wasn't Hokage yet. And Sakura didn't know if Kakashi-sensei would be as forgiving.

However, none of that stopped Sakura from feeling the other thing she felt—namely, a nearly overwhelming attraction to Deidara. She didn't know exactly what she expected from meeting a missing-nin of his caliber, but it certainly wasn't the reality: a snarky, teasing, flirty man that was way better looking than he had any right to be. The only thing that matched her need to kiss him again was her enjoyment of his company. At this point, she could no longer deny how much she liked the banter that went on between them—or the way she had enjoyed the feeling of her body pressed against his.

It should've been something she would never even consider. Tsunade would probably kick her ass if she knew. But she was Haruno Sakura, who'd quite famously loved Sasuke even when he'd completely betrayed his village. She was used to looking past the surface. 

Somewhere during the month, after these contradicting thoughts had chased themselves exhaustingly around her head, she'd come to a decision. She was just going to enjoy herself. Lots of ninja took part in secret trysts that were never meant to see the light of day—who said she had to be a romantic forever? Maybe it was time for her to learn how to take her pleasure from a man without falling in love with him first. 

Maybe it really was time for her to just have some fun.

That's how she found herself back at No Man's Land the following month, mouth dry from nerves, stomach twisting from excitement. She finally broke into a walk as Naruto opened the door and walked through, holding it open behind him. 

She followed Naruto into the bar, and he barely even gave her a wave before bolting up the stairs to Gaara's room, clearly too excited to bother thinking about her. That suited her just fine—she had other things on her mind, too.

Stepping into the dim room, she moved between various groups of shinobi toward the back of the bar. It wasn't until she'd walked around a particularly large nin that she saw Deidara sitting in the same booth as last time, idly tracing the mouth of the mug of beer that sat in front of him. She slowed down a bit as she approached, and when he looked up and caught sight of her, he smiled from behind the lock of blonde hair that fell over one eye.

Sakura gingerly slid onto the seat across from him. "Hi."

"Lookin' good, hellcat," he said, his gaze lingering appreciatively on her dress.

"Thank you," she responded. She tried to say it in the arrogant way that Ino did—the way that told you that Ino _expected_ you to find her hot—but it fell short. Feeling a little awkward, she asked, "How are you?"

"I wasn't sure if you were gonna come back, yeah." He delivered the admission casually, but there was a hint of doubt in his expression.

Seeing it emboldened her. "I can't imagine you actually feeling unsure about something," she said, grinning slightly. It was nice to feel like she had one up on him, for once. 

"You're right. It's totally unlike me. You should come sit over here." And with that, any trace of vulnerability was gone. The lazy grin he gave her suited his face much more, as did the answering grin on his palm as he gestured at the spot beside him.

"I still have to get my drink," she protested, pushing herself out of the booth again and not waiting for a response as she crossed the short distance to the bar. Her teeth worried at her lower lip as she waited for her usual small bottle of sake. When it was delivered and she tried to pay for it, the bartender surprised her by telling her it had already been added to Deidara's tab, at his request. She had to hold back a smile at his attempt to be courteous. 

Making her way back to their booth, she held her breath and then slid in next to Deidara before she could think about it too much. He moved over enough to give her plenty of room, his eyes bright as he took a drink of his beer.

"Thanks for paying for my drink," Sakura offered, watching as he took the bottle of sake from her and poured her a cup. That just made her repressed smile from before break through. She had a feeling that this kind of consideration wasn't typical for him. "Maybe you're a gentleman after all."

"It's no big deal," he protested, and Sakura was positively shocked to see what appeared to be a hint of color in his cheeks.

"Are you _blushing_?" She could feel her smile grow into a tickled grin as he shifted uncomfortably beside her. 

"Absolutely fucking not," he stated, firing a glare in her direction. "You must have shitty eyes." 

Sakura snorted. "You know, guys usually try to _compliment_ my eyes." 

"You probably just had bad taste before," Deidara suggested, having apparently regained his confidence. "Village boys always say stupid shit, yeah."

"But I suppose missing-nin are seducers of the highest order?" Sakura snarked, facing forward so she could take the first sip of her sake. But she paused when Deidara's hair brushed her arm as he leaned close enough to her murmur in her ear.

"I don't know. Are you seduced yet?" His voice was low, and she didn't miss the way that he snaked his arm between her and the back of the seat. 

"No," Sakura responded with false confidence, feeling her pulse beat quicker than normal. 

"But we agree that I'm definitely seducing you, right?" he asked, leaning back enough to give her a cocky grin, keeping his arm around her. 

"You're so obnoxious," she replied, knowing that this time she was the one blushing. But she couldn't help the smile that stretched across her lips at their return to their usual banter. It made her feel comfortable—and surprisingly, so did the warmth of his arm at her waist.

"So," Deidara began, relaxing in his seat as he picked up his beer with his free hand. "You were the fifth Hokage's apprentice. Is she going to be showing up here to kick my ass for hitting on you?"

"I do my own ass-kicking," Sakura replied, smirking at him. "Also... maybe." 

Deidara hummed thoughtfully before taking a drink of his beer. Setting the mug back down as he swallowed, he finally said, "Worth it." Eyeing her, he added, "Probably."

Sakura let out an insulted huff. "What do you mean, 'probably'? Of course I'm worth it!"

He was grinning again now. "I think riling you up is my new favorite hobby. It's kinda like blowing things up, but cuter."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You won't think it's cute when I put my fist through your face."

"You'd have to catch me first, yeah," he said smugly. "I'm a distance fighter."

"Please. All I'd have to do is wear a dress and promise to kiss you again," she retorted, easily matching the smugness in his tone.

"Yeah?" Sakura felt his hand tighten on her waist and pull her toward him as he brought his face closer to hers. "Prove it," he murmured, the fingers of his other hand tugging lightly at her skirt. "You're already halfway there." 

"You're so easy," Sakura tried to fire back, but her voice came out a lot softer than she'd intended. 

"It's a really nice dress, yeah," Deidara insisted, resting his hand over the thin fabric. Sakura didn't make him move it. "And you're a pretty good kisser, hellcat." 

"Only pretty good?" she sulked, even though having him so close was making her heartbeat rush in her ears. She wet her lips with her tongue, and his eyes flickered down to watch the movement. 

"Maybe I'm not remembering it right," he teased, and he closed the scant bit of distance between them, his mouth a breath away from hers. As if to punctuate his words, the hand on her waist bit her lightly through the fabric of her dress, and Sakura wasn't able to prevent the shaky little inhale it caused. "Maybe you need to show me again."

Some small little voice in Sakura's head piped up at that moment to remind her of her reservations about this—to remind her that she was fast approaching a point after which there would be no turning back. But Sakura had never been one to shy away from her attraction for someone. She was more the type to throw herself headlong over the cliff.

So, she jumped.

Raising her hands, she caught Deidara's face lightly between her fingers and brushed her mouth against his. He surprised her by not immediately taking the lead, letting her follow up that first shy kiss with another one that lingered. But then her hunger for him took over, and her fingers were moving up toward those long silky strands that they itched to tangle themselves in, and she was parting her lips to kiss him more deeply. 

Finally responding, Deidara made a little pleased noise against her mouth as he returned the kiss. He moved almost lazily, taking his time, parting her lips with his own and brushing his tongue against hers. Slowly, he took control, and stoked a fire in her that threatened to take her over—and she wanted it to, so very badly. The sounds of bar chatter and the music that played over it faded away, until she was only aware of the way he kissed her like he knew that she wanted him as much as he wanted her—like there wasn't a doubt in his mind that he could have her.

And in that moment, he could.

His right hand moved from the fabric of her skirt to the bare part of her thigh above her knee, squeezing slightly. When she felt the tongue in his palm flick against her skin she gasped against his lips. She could feel him smile against her mouth as his hand slowly slid to the inside of her knee, the mouth on his hand tasting her as it went. Sakura parted her legs slightly, shocked again by how bold she was being.

The slightly roughened pads of his fingers brushed against her inner thigh as he pulled back slowly, his eyes hooded. "What exactly are you looking for, hellcat?" 

Opening her eyes, she stared into his, surprised that he was even stopping to check in with her. If she'd been a betting woman like Tsunade, she would have placed money on Deidara being the kind of guy to just barrel forward once he was given even the slightest hint of consent—and she apparently would've been wrong. Focusing on his question, she searched his expression for a moment, surprised again by how intent his gaze was.

"I..." she began, ready to say that she wanted _him_ , but then she stopped. She wasn't going to deny how much she liked him anymore—not to herself, at least. But was she ready to admit that to _him_? Finally, she said, "I just want to have fun." That much she was willing to admit to.

A smirk tugged at one corner of his mouth, like he didn't quite believe her. Still, he didn't seem bothered by her answer, and he nipped at her lower lip before responding in a low voice. "I can work with that, yeah." 

Before she could think of anything else to say, he was kissing her again. It seemed like he knew exactly how to kiss her—when to dominate her mouth with his, when to pull back and let her chase him. She couldn't remember ever having a kiss like this: like an ocean wave washing over her, ebbing and flowing, sweeping her feet from beneath her to carry her away. She felt like she could happily kiss him for hours.

The hand at her waist hand tightened its grasp, fisting in the material of her dress. Beneath the table, his hand hadn't stopped moving. She could feel the mouth on his palm tasting her as he slowly caressed his way up her leg. The more he touched her, the hotter her body felt, every place he touched tingling in his wake. 

When his hand got high enough that his fingertips were brushing the hem of her panties, the mouth on his palm latched onto the skin high up on her inner thigh, sharp teeth grazing her skin. With a shiver, Sakura whimpered against his lips, his silken hair slipping through her fingers as she reflexively lowered her hands to grip his arm. 

His voice was rough as he broke the kiss, his fingertips still trailing over the sensitive skin right beside the hem of her panties. "You want me to stop, Sakura?" 

Hearing him say her name in that quiet, low voice that seemed to come directly from his chest made her want him even more. But she didn't answer him right away, instead saying, "This is kind of... public." Her eyes flicked out to the semi-crowded bar. 

It was dimly lit as usual, and the shadows around the booth and beneath the table were deep, but it wasn't like it would be impossible for someone to figure out what they were doing if they were to look in the right direction. Still, as her eyes were drawn back to him, all she wanted to do was kiss him again—all she wanted was his hands, his _mouths_ , on her. 

"Yeah, it is," he said, following her gaze for a moment before looking at her again. Tipping his head down, he pressed his lips to her neck. "You'd have to be quiet." The fingers on her inner thigh stroked slowly, the mouth in his palm laving her skin with its tongue. "You want me to stop?" he asked again, his breath warm against the place his lips had just been.

Sakura's eyes fluttered shut as he placed another open-mouthed kiss on her neck, her lips parting in a soft exhale as she whispered, "No." 

"Good," he rumbled. Her breath caught in her throat as she felt his teeth sink into her neck, just enough to produce a tingling tinge of pain. She knew he was going to leave a mark, and she wanted him to—she suddenly wanted him to mark her _everywhere_. As if he could read her mind, the mouth on her inner thigh sucked on the sensitive skin there, sharp teeth pricking, and she let out a small, breathy moan. 

"Shhh," he whispered against her neck. His hand was moving higher, crossing that last inch so that his fingertips could tease over the thin cotton that separated him from his ultimate goal. She could feel how wet she was already—knew that he could feel it too as he stroked her through the sodden fabric. Confirming this, he purred, "Fuck, you're wet."

She held back a whimper as his fingers crept higher and found the waistband of her panties, stretching them down as he slid his hand inside. The pads of his fingers, slightly rough, slid down to brush over her slick folds, and her breath grew shakier. The press of his thumb against her clit made her bite her lower lip to keep another whimper from escaping. 

The feeling of the mouth on his hand opening, and the tongue sliding out to tease at her entrance, made her gasp. When the tip of it slid into her entrance, sinuous and slick, this time the whimper escaped, louder than she meant it to be, and her eyes flew open. 

His free arm pulled her shoulders into his chest, his hand finding her jaw and turning her toward him for another searing kiss. Her hands, desperate for something to hold, gripped the arm whose hand was up her skirt, feeling the way it flexed as he replaced the tongue with his fingers, sliding one slowly past her entrance. She moaned against his mouth as his finger stroked inside her, the tongue on his palm slowly licking her clit and sending waves of pleasure rolling through her. 

As he kissed her his other hand slid down to her neck, nibbling softly as the hand beneath her skirt sucked her clit into its mouth. Sakura was completely overwhelmed, her fingernails sinking into his arm as she kissed him desperately. The only sounds that she could hear were the beating of her heart in her ears, and the little growl he made in his throat when she bit his lower lip. He pushed her higher, higher, until her legs were trembling underneath the table and she could no longer think enough to kiss him. 

Breaking the kiss, he let her turn her face forward as she panted softly. He slid a second finger into her, and as they began to stroke inside her, the pulse of his tongue against her clit was nearly torturous. Leaning his forehead against the side of her head, he rasped, "I fucking want you. I could fuck you right here."

The sound of rough desperation in his voice combined with the things he said made her pulse around him, and he must've felt it because there was a teasing quality to his voice as he murmured, "You like that, hellcat? I could fuck you in front of all these people, make you scream for me while they watch." 

A broken sound that threatened to turn into a full-fledged cry pushed through her lips. Before it could, the hand on her neck flew to cover her mouth. The mouth between her legs closed around her clit with wet warmth, pulsing and licking and making her quake. As she moaned the hand over her lips opened its mouth, and when she felt its tongue stroking hers, she sucked on it mindlessly. 

Nudging her head, tilting it, he tugged at her earlobe with his teeth before breathing right in her ear, "That's right, Sakura. I wanna feel you come." 

The feel of his mouths stroking and teasing her, the nervous excitement of being exposed, they all combined to bring her to a dizzying peak. Her hands tightened on his arm as her whole body tightened, her hips bucking into his hand, and she gave out a thankfully muffled cry as she came, shuddering in his grasp as she arched back against his arm and the booth behind it. He didn't stop, pushing her higher as she gasped against his hand, its tongue flicking against her lips. Shivering, she let him draw every last ounce of pleasure from her, as expertly as if he had done it a hundred times before. 

As she began to come down her hands flew up to his wrist, pulling his hand away from her mouth. Turning toward him, she pulled his head in for a long, demanding kiss. His fingers slid out of her, attempting to wipe themselves on her doubtlessly ruined panties before drawing out of them completely. Idly stroking her inner thigh as he pulled his hand slowly out of her skirt, he pulled back enough to give her a satisfied smirk, his eyes stormy with lust. Sakura's eyes suddenly widened as the full weight of what had just happened fell on her, and with a mortified squeak she looked out over the bar. 

"Don't worry, nobody saw," he said, his tone back to that familiar amused lilt as his other hand dropped back down to her waist, squeezing it slightly. "And if they look now, all they're going to see is me about to bust out of my pants, yeah." 

Once she'd verified that no one was watching she'd already begun falling back into her lustful haze, her body still throbbing, but what he'd said completely pulled her attention back to him, her eyes automatically falling to the bulge she could see in his pants. In spite of the fact that she'd just wantonly orgasmed in full view of anyone who'd chanced to look, it was the idea of him hard in his pants that made her turn red, and she licked her lips. 

"You want a closer look, yeah?" he asked, still amused, his voice softer than before. 

"Not here," Sakura said quickly, pushing herself out of the booth onto legs she discovered to be more than a little shaky. She reached to grab his wrist and pull him after her. "Come on."

And then, because the universe has an awful sense of humor, Sakura heard the distinct sound of Naruto's voice booming across the bar behind her. 

"Sakura-chan! There you are!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the cliffhanger! It was going to be one mammoth chapter if I didn't break it up somehow. I gave you a Sakura orgasm to make it up to you!


	4. The way you taste

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey folks! Thanks to all of you for not coming after me with pitchforks for the cliffhanger I left you with last time! Honestly, I figured I'd get at least one negative review by now, but you all have been a bunch of sweethearts. Thank you so much, that means a lot to me!

"Sakura-chan! There you are!"

Sakura felt the blood drain out of her face as she looked up and saw Naruto approaching with Gaara in tow. It just wasn't fair. She'd just pulled Deidara to his feet, still weak in the knees from the orgasm he'd given her, and she'd been ready to make their escape when Naruto had called out to her. Facing him with a fake smile, she made sure to stand between him and Deidara, knowing Deidara was sporting a very distinct bulge in his pants.

"Naruto! What are you doing here?" Sakura asked with forced cheerfulness, trying her best not to look as if she'd just been caught trying to drag Deidara into the nearest semi-private corner.

"Gaara and I got thirsty, and we thought we'd come down here and get something to drink with you two," Naruto said with total obliviousness, utterly blind to Sakura's poorly hidden irritation. Behind him, Gaara watched with thoughtful turquoise eyes.

"Oh! That's great! Why don't you get us all a round and we'll be right back," Sakura said, her words rushed as she strode past them, pulling Deidara in her wake. She heard a quiet choking sound behind her, which she assumed was Deidara trying not to laugh.

"Oh, okay," she heard Naruto say in a confused voice, but honestly, she didn't even care anymore. The medic in her tried to recognize that what she was feeling right now was a heady combination of hormones and endorphins, but she didn't care about that, either.

She was a woman on a mission.

She led Deidara through the bar, scanning the interior of the building for a place she could be alone with him. Her gaze fell on a hallway leading away from the main room and she made a beeline toward it, glancing back only once to catch a view of Deidara following her with an entirely too satisfied smirk on his face. She endeavored to ignore the fact that her panties were a sodden mess under her skirt.

Turning into the hallway, she was overjoyed to see a series of marked bathroom doors set along the wall, with an exit to the outside on the far end of the hall. Even better, there was no one waiting outside of any of the bathrooms. Approaching the last one in the line, Sakura knocked on it briskly to make sure it wasn't occupied.

Deidara finally piped up, teasing, "You alright? Because you seem a little antsy and I—"

His highly amused voice was cut off by Sakura abruptly opening the door to the unoccupied bathroom and yanking him inside. It was blessedly a single occupant bathroom, just a small—and thankfully _clean_ —room with a toilet and sink. Slamming the door behind them, she pushed Deidara up against it, reaching up by his shoulder to turn the lock.

"Fuck me, hellcat," Deidara said with a smirk. "I'm gonna have to remember to finger you in a bar more often if this—"

This time when Sakura interrupted him, it was by pressing her lips against his, her hands fisting in the shirt that stretched over the mesh armor he wore. He wasn't that much taller than her, so she didn't have to strain to reach him, and she took full advantage of that fact by kissing him for all she was worth. Deidara seemed to approve, because his hands found her hips and pulled her roughly against him, rolling his hips against hers so that she could feel his hardness pressing against her lower abdomen.

Some distant—and very, very small—part of her brain identified that she was acting a little crazy. _More_ than a little crazy. But Deidara had just given her one of the most intense orgasms she'd ever had _with one hand_ , and a bigger part of her was still quaking from it. And that part of her?

That part of her took it as a _challenge_.

Sakura's hands released his shirt and moved downwards only to begin blindly tugging at his pants as she kissed him. As she got them open, she snuck one hand inside until it encountered the fevered skin of his erection. He let out an involuntary gasp, breaking their kiss, his eyes smoldering as they met hers.

A slow, dark smile pulled at his lips as he teased, "Did I get you a little riled up?"

"You're going to pay for that," Sakura promised, stroking her fingers down his length to emphasize her words. Her free hand was tugging harder at his pants, pulling them down and loose around his hips.

Then it finally really hit her. That annoying, responsible part of her brain pointed out that she was now in a bar bathroom with someone's dick in her hand—a missing-nin's dick in her hand, to be precise—and she had every intention to do more than that. Her already flushed face grew more heated, but Deidara seemed completely unphased.

"Pay for what?" he asked disingenuously, and just like that, thoughts of decorum flew back out of her head to be replaced by the need to make him as flustered as she was. She deliberately passed her thumb over the head of his cock, smearing his slickness, and was gratified to hear his breath catch in his throat. With that one little sound, she made up her mind—she was going to make him lose control, just like he'd made her. Bracing herself on his hip with her free hand, she crouched down on the balls of her feet. Deidara, meanwhile, tried to regain his composure and resumed his teasing. "You really seemed to like it when I had my hand up your skirt and my— _fuck_ —"

His hissed curse as she closed her mouth around his cock was exactly the kind of reaction she was looking for. A little satisfied smile curled the corners of Sakura's mouth as she swirled her tongue over the salt-tinged head, pleased to interrupt him once again. Releasing it from her mouth, she stroked her hand down its length, slowly following it with her tongue, taking her time. When she lifted her gaze to his, she found him staring at her with hooded eyes, bottom lip caught in his teeth. So _that's_ what it took to shut him up.

She held his gaze as she made her way back to the tip, her lips barely brushing the soft, slick skin as she commanded, "If you ever... _ever_... tell anyone what I just let you do to me, I will never do this again." Narrowing her eyes slightly, she added, "And if you push my head down, I'll put you through the wall."

"I don't kiss and tell," he replied as he released his lip from his teeth. "No pushing." He didn't take his eyes from her for a second as he made his promises, and his breathing sounded quicker than before as he said, " _Fuck,_ you look fucking hot glaring at me with my dick in your hand, yeah."

There was an appreciation in his voice that bordered on awe, with a ragged edge to it that made her angry that they didn't have enough time for her to do even more with him—not with Naruto and Gaara waiting for them to return to the bar. Instead, she held his eyes with her own as she took the head of his cock into her mouth again and sucked. When he just uttered another guttural "fuck" and let his head drop back, she felt a surge of triumph.

The power she felt at reducing him to nothing more than profanity just made her hungrier, her eyes fluttering shut in concentration as she slid her lips further down his shaft, her hand slowly stroking what her mouth didn't cover. But slow wasn't what she had in mind, and it wasn't what they had time for. Even if she wanted nothing more than to tease him with her tongue until he was begging her to put him out of his misery.

Instead, she didn't hold back at all. She could hear him softly groaning beneath his quickened breath as she bobbed her head, taking him in just shy of the point of gagging and reveling in the sounds he produced. She felt his hands come to rest on her head, fingers slipping through the strands of her hair, but true to his word, he didn't try to control her movements.

"You're fucking good at that, hellcat. _Fuck._ " Deidara's voice was rough as he continued to curse, his lacquered nails scratching lightly at her scalp. Hearing what she was doing to him only made Sakura more determined.

As she continued and a slightly louder groan came out of Deidara, she could feel herself responding to him, knowing her panties weren't just wet from before. She had the thought that if she didn't finish him soon, she was going to fuck him right there, and gods knew that she wouldn't be as quiet about it as he was. But she was determined to show him exactly how riled up he'd succeeded in making her.

Pulling her left hand away from his hip, she reached lower to find his balls with her fingers, lightly stroking them and rolling them in her palm. She heard his breath catch in surprise, and she would've smirked if her mouth hadn't been full—as a medic, she was sure never to neglect any part of the anatomy.

"Like that, yeah," Deidara said in a broken voice. She lifted her eyes back to his face as she continued to drive him closer to orgasm, and when her eyes met his he bit his lip again, one of his hands flying up to tangle desperately in his own hair. She saw his abdomen flex beneath the mesh armor he wore beneath his cropped shirt, and his hips jerked as he gasped, "Shit! I'm going to come, if you don't..."

He broke off as she came up, circling her tongue around the head of his throbbing cock before redoubling her efforts, taking him as fast as she could—as fast as she wished she was fucking him right then. A raw groan ripped out of Deidara's throat, his fingers tightening in her hair as he finally let go, flooding her mouth as he came, his hips jerking again. She slowed down, milking him as she swallowed, feeling a trickle from the corner of her mouth. When he licked his lips, his gaze still hooded and slightly dazed, she couldn't believe how much it made her want him.

Finally, she released him from her mouth with a soft pop, which produced a quiet grunt from him. Releasing the fistful of his own hair that he'd grabbed, he lowered his hand and slowly swept his thumb over the corner of her mouth, swiping up what had spilled out. Without thinking she opened her mouth and closed her lips around it, sucking it clean, and he gritted out, "Fuck _me_ , hellcat."

The bald appreciation in his tone made her flush again, the reality of everything she'd just done rushing back home. Pulling herself to her feet, she was surprised when he curled his hand around the back of her neck and tugged her toward him for a searing kiss. Breaking from her, he sounded winded and amused as he said, "You know, we could have just gotten a room."

"There wasn't enough time for that—they're waiting for us," she protested, embarrassment rushing through her. Suddenly feeling stupid, she pouted a little, waiting for him to make fun of her. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

"Sakura, I can promise you," he began, raising both hands to cup her face with them, his face comically sincere, "It was a fucking _fantastic_ idea." He pressed his lips to hers again to punctuate his words.

Simultaneously feeling pleased with herself and suddenly shy—why, she had no clue, considering what she'd just been doing—she pulled away from him and smiled. "Fasten your pants and fix your hair. They're probably starting to wonder where we are."

"If they haven't figured out what we're doing by now, they're complete idiots," he offered as he tucked himself back into his pants and closed them before raising his hands to straighten his hair.

"You don't know Naruto," she muttered as she crossed the room to the sink to wash her hands. Checking herself in the mirror, she saw that her own hair was mussed and attempted to smooth it down with her damp hands.

Turning to face Deidara, who had the most pleased feline smirk she'd ever seen on his face, she insisted, "You go out first." Turning to face him had made her uncomfortably aware of how wet her panties still were, so she abruptly reached up under her skirt to slip them down over her legs and step out of them. She quickly tucked them into her hip pouch.

Deidara was staring at her incredulously. "You think I'm going to leave after you take off your underwear?" He snaked out a hand to grab her hip, but she dodged it, swatting at his grasping fingers.

"Stop it!" she hissed, trying and failing to suppress a laugh. Reaching past him, she unlocked the door and then opened it, shoving him outside. "Go!" The last thing she saw before she shut the door in his face was him laughing, and for a moment she was struck again by just how _pretty_ he was.

Walking back to the sink, she braced her hands on the edges of it and stared at herself in the mirror. "You are insane," she said to her reflection. Her reflection, with rosy cheeks and swollen lips, didn't look the slightest bit convinced. As she studied herself, she caught sight of a reddish love bite on the left side of her neck—and then another one on the right side—and squeaked, clapping her hands over both marks and quickly channeling chakra through her hands to heal them. They were from the bar—she remembered him kissing one side while his hand had sucked on the other, and he had apparently just neglected to mention that he'd left her a few souvenirs.

She was going to kill him—even if there was still a big part of her that liked the idea of wearing his marks.

Finished with her task, she flipped on the water again, splashing some on her face before turning to grab a towel to dry it. In her mind, she dizzily prayed to whomever would listen to make her face look like she _hadn't_ just given someone a blow job in a bar bathroom.

Tossing the towel in the trash, she took a deep breath and then swung open the door, heading back out into the bar. She was insanely grateful that there was still no one in the hallway to witness her coming out of the bathroom that Deidara had just exited.

Leaving the hallway, she wove her way through the bar back to the booth. Naruto and Gaara were sitting on one side with Deidara lounging by himself on the other, and they all seemed to be enjoying chatting with one another—or rather, Naruto seemed to be enjoying talking while Gaara and Deidara listened, the latter with a semi-bored expression on his face. As she approached, Sakura mentally repeated to herself that there was no way Gaara or Naruto would know what she had just been doing.

As Sakura reached the table and prepared to slide into the seat next to Deidara, Naruto turned to her and said, "So, how did it go, Sakura-chan?"

All three men were staring at her. Sakura froze for a moment before taking her seat, clearing her throat slightly as she asked, "How did what go?"

"I bet you blew him away," Naruto said with a proud smile, not really answering her question. Deidara made a smothered noise that sounded like he was holding back a laugh.

Sakura willed the heat she felt rising to her face to subside. Naruto couldn't possibly be talking about what she _thought_ he was talking about. Her hand found Deidara's thigh under the table, and she dug her nails into it as she began, "I... uh..."

Apparently deciding to take pity on her, Deidara spoke up. "I told him how you took me outside to show me how strong your chakra control makes you." When she finally looked at him, his blue eyes were dancing with suppressed mirth. "You definitely blew me away, yeah."

"Sakura-chan kicks ass!" Naruto enthused, and then he was off again, chattering to Gaara about Sakura's fighting prowess.

Beneath the table, Deidara's hand slid on top of hers, warm and surprisingly reassuring. Sakura let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, giving him a pointed look as she relaxed her grip on his leg. He'd done that on purpose. Deidara just gave her the kind of innocent smile that looked completely out of place on his face, curling his hand around hers. She felt the pads of his fingers trace over the shell of her palm, and she gave him a slow, small smile back.

"Notice a difference, Sakura-chan?" Naruto addressed her.

Sakura faced him, frowning slightly. "What difference?"

Beaming, Naruto slung an arm around Gaara, pulling him closer without much finesse. Gaara bore it with a long-suffering smile as Naruto exclaimed, "Me and Gaara! Out here at the bar!" When she didn't seem to get it, he added, "We're not hiding upstairs anymore!"

"We're going to go public," Gaara explained.

Sakura's jaw dropped, and then she broke into a grin. "That's fantastic news! I—wait," she halted herself, considering. "Isn't this going to be a problem... politically?" Beside her, Deidara was watching the conversation with uncharacteristic silence.

"They can try to make it a problem," Gaara said in a soft but deadly voice that said what he thought about anyone stupid enough to try.

Next to him, Naruto was serious, too. "We can't hide this anymore. Gaara means too much to me, and I'm sick of having to come to this bar to see him."

The bar. If Naruto and Gaara went public, they'd have no reason to visit the bar anymore, and neither would Sakura. That meant she no longer had a reason—no, an _excuse_ —to see Deidara.

In a weakly cheerful voice, she said, "I'm sure that everything will be okay. After all, a stronger alliance between Suna and Konoha would benefit both villages." Shaking off her thoughts, she gave a firmer smile as she added, "This is a good thing."

"Thanks, Sakura-chan," Naruto said, smiling at Gaara. "I think it's a good thing, too." They exchanged the kind of look that made Sakura feel like she was intruding.

Deidara squeezed her hand again. She looked at him, but he was finishing the last of his beer that had been left at the table, no doubt long enough to get warm. Glancing around the table, Sakura noticed that Naruto's and Gaara's drinks were empty, too. With her free hand, she lifted her own sake cup and drained it.

"I'm afraid I have to get going," Gaara spoke up. Glancing at Naruto, he added in a softer voice, "I'll be in touch with you about how things go." Shifting his gaze to Sakura and Deidara, he politely added, "It was nice to see you both."

Gaara stood from the booth, but Naruto quickly joined him. "I'll say goodbye to you outside!" he insisted, and Sakura smiled at how much he was clearly enjoying not having to hide his affection for Gaara anymore. Taking Gaara's hand, Naruto paused to say, "Meet me outside in a few minutes, Sakura-chan!"

As they both exited the bar, Sakura watched them go somewhat wistfully before turning back to face Deidara. For the briefest of moments his face still had a serious, contemplative look on it, and Sakura wondered if he'd come to the same conclusion as her about her no longer having a reason to come to No Man's Land. Then he broke into one of his usual lazy smiles, his expression lightening as he said, "Fantastic."

"What?" she asked.

"Well, up until now you've only been coming here because he wanted you to, right? But now you don't have that excuse anymore and will just have to admit that you want to come see me," he said with a grin. "This means I don't have to wait a month to see you again, yeah?"

Apparently, he _had_ been thinking in the same direction she had—but he had come to a much more positive conclusion. Sakura's eyebrows rose at his swift return to confidence. "You never have even a little bit of insecurity, do you?"

"Hey, it's hard to be insecure when you just had your mouth around my—" His sentence ended in a muffled laugh as she clamped her hand over his mouth.

"Try for some discretion, please!" she hissed at him, and when he held his hands up as a white flag, both of his palms were grinning at her. No matter how much she tried to hold it back, an exasperated smile pulled at her lips.

Curling the fingers of one hand around her wrist, he pulled her hand from his mouth, leaning toward her and murmuring, "So, when are you coming back, hellcat?"

"Maybe I don't want to come back," she said imperiously, startled into a giggle when he leaned even closer and laid a rather obnoxiously loud kiss on her neck.

"Yeah, you do," he insisted, that lazy smile returning as he pulled back enough to look at her. "So, when are you coming back?"

Despite her protests, she hadn't for a moment considered not coming back. Her mind raced as she thought about her schedule at the hospital, when her days off were, and how likely it would be that she could get someone to cover for her. It wasn't like she hadn't covered other people before—and she never asked for time off. "I think... I could be back in a week?"

"Are you asking or telling?" he teased with a smirk.

"A week. I can come back in a week," she said more firmly.

"Good," he responded. His voice softened slightly as he added, "This time I'll get a room, yeah?"

Sakura flushed. "Yeah," she replied just as softly. "Okay."

He closed the distance between them and gave her a lingering kiss, and Sakura was once again grateful for the bar's dim lighting. When he pulled away, his eyes were devious as he said, "You know, I like it when you taste like sake, but you taste better when you taste like me."

Sakura let out a huff that she didn't really mean as she stood from the booth, scowling at him a little. "You're an idiot. And I have to go."

Deidara slid over and stood as well. She felt the warmth of his hand on the small of her back as he gave her a knowing look and said, "See you next time, Sakura."

Hearing him use her name made a little thrill go through her, so she only gave him a slightly flustered smile before she turned and strode through the bar, avoiding various patrons on her way to the door. When she glanced back before leaving, she saw Deidara at the bar, apparently paying his—their—tab. The smile was still on her face as she turned and breezed through the doorway.

She arrived outside just in time to watch Gaara leaving with a discreet escort of ANBU agents, with Naruto broadly smiling as he watched them go. She cleared her throat lightly and he looked over at her, his smile lingering as he asked, "Did you say goodbye to Deidara?"

"Yeah," she answered, suddenly a little bashful about talking to Naruto about Deidara. Moving to walk past him, she said, "Let's get going."

Naruto caught her wrist in his hand as she tried to pass him, and when she turned to face him again, she found that he was looking at her with a seriousness that was surprising on his usual sunny face.

"Sakura-chan, wait a minute. I want to say something," he began. When she just raised her eyebrows at him, he continued, "I really want to thank you for supporting Gaara and me. And... I want to say that I think you deserve some happiness in your life."

Surprised by his sudden turn toward seriousness, Sakura frowned and uncomfortably shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Naruto, I am happy—"

"No, you're not," he interrupted her. "You haven't really been happy since you and Sasuke decided to call it quits."

Sakura held back a wince. Even if her breakup with Sasuke had been a mutual decision, it had still been hard. She tried to protest again. "Naruto, I'm fine."

Naruto's seriousness broke for a second as he rolled his eyes. "Yeah, right." Sobering once again, he said, "All I'm saying is that these last few months, you've seemed like you're happy again. And it seems like maybe Deidara isn't such a bad guy after all. So, I'm just saying, if spending time with him is making you happy... well, I'm glad that you're happy."

Sakura's eyes widened slightly, and she stammered, "Naruto, he's just—I mean, we're not—it's not anything serious," she finally finished weakly. "I'm just having fun, like you keep telling me to do."

"Sure, Sakura-chan," Naruto said. "Whatever you say." And then he just beamed at her when she glared at him. Letting go of her wrist, he turned and began towards Konoha at a leisurely pace. "Let's go home."

Sighing, Sakura hurried to catch up, neatly avoiding spending any more time thinking about what Naruto had said, or Deidara's relation to her happiness. Right now, she just wanted to let the day be what it had been—an exciting day where she'd definitely had more fun than she'd had in a long time.

Still, as she pulled even with Naruto, she muttered, "You know, you're a lot smarter than everyone gives you credit for."

"I know!"


	5. The way you move

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh hi! Have some smut.

No Man's Land was quieter than usual as Sakura stepped inside, blinking as she stepped out of the afternoon lighting and into the dimmer light within. It had to be one of the bar's off days because there were less people than usual, although there were still clusters of shinobi here and there, some of whom turned to look at her as she walked in.

Feeling a little awkward, Sakura shifted the strap of her bag on her shoulder, the weight of it reminding her that it had more than usual inside. But it wasn't the overnight bag itself that unsettled her. It was that she was here for the fourth time, wearing a qipao that was probably too nice for a bar that attracted missing-nin, and she was definitely there for _sex._

She held back a frown, fighting the urge to smooth the dress. It was made of pink cotton with subtle floral embroidery, and Ino had picked it out. It had been their compromise after Ino had insisted on a silky red dress and Sakura had vetoed it, but Ino's satisfaction with her agreement to the pink dress made Sakura think that had been her plan all along.

She really hadn't meant to tell Ino about her trip. Much to Sakura's chagrin, Ino had found out when she'd come to visit her at the hospital and heard another medic ask her about her time off. Of course, this led to Ino demanding to know where she was going. Sakura had tried to distract her by telling her about visiting No Man's Land with Naruto, who had finally gone public in the village with his relationship to Gaara. That was salacious enough for Ino to want to focus on getting details, but eventually she'd returned to asking about her current trip, and Sakura had been forced to admit that she was going alone.

The only way to stop Ino from inviting herself along had been to confess that she was meeting a man there, and then Ino had _lost it_. She'd demanded details about everything. Sakura had been as discreet as possible, and while she had described what Deidara looked like—leaving out all mention of extra mouths, of course—she had refused to mention a name, which only made Ino more curious. Finally, Sakura had managed to distract her by mentioning that Ino and Deidara actually looked kind of alike, leaving Ino to have a field day about Sakura seeking out someone that was the male version of her.

Still, she'd agreed to help Sakura find a dress for the occasion, and even though the dress might be a little cuter than No Man's Land was used to, she was still glad for it now. It was pretty casual, but it was still prettier than anything she usually wore, and she felt good in it. Not to mention that, according to Ino, it was extremely flattering on her body.

More importantly, talking to Ino and focusing on finding something to wear had allowed her to ignore any nervousness she felt about meeting Deidara on her own—and getting a room together. But now that she was here at No Man's Land, all of her nerves came flooding back to her. It was silly to be nervous, especially considering everything they'd done together during her last visit—really silly—but she was, nonetheless. Last time she'd visited, she'd come for "fun" that had turned into a lot more than she'd bargained for. This time, there was no denying the fact that she was there purely for sex, and her confidence had deserted her.

Hesitating just inside the doorway, Sakura immediately looked in the direction of the booth she and Deidara had sat in the last two times she'd visited. He wasn't lounging there like she'd expected, though, so she scanned the rest of the room. It didn't take her long to locate a certain head of long blonde hair at the bar, and she crossed the room and approached him right as he looked up from the beer he was contemplating. Giving her a typically lazy smile, he said, "Look who it is."

"Hi," Sakura said with a small smile in return, hoping he couldn't see how nervous she was as she slid onto the stool beside him. He nodded to the bartender, who brought over a small bottle of sake for her, along with an empty cup.

Sakura sat primly, feeling awkward. She didn't know why this was so weird. It wasn't like they hadn't gotten extremely _friendly_ last time she was there—the ice should've already been broken.

As if reading her mind, Deidara bumped her with his shoulder, his voice amused as he said, "You don't need to look so scared."

Frowning slightly, Sakura returned, "I'm not scared."

Deidara smirked. "Your face says otherwise. I don't know why. Need a reminder as to what happened last time we were here?"

Sakura flushed. She definitely didn't need a reminder.

"Because," Deidara continued in his taunting voice, not lowering it in the slightest as he continued, "If it'll help you relax, I could slide my hand up your skirt again and we can see if you can stay quiet."

As a wave of heat washed over her that was half angry embarrassment at the volume of his voice and half desire over his suggestion, she barked, "Shut up!" and aimed a slap at the back of his head.

Immediately, they were surrounded by black-masked nin that had the same menacing auras they'd had the first time she'd seen them. She'd forgotten about No Man's Land no violence rule—again.

Deidara, completely unphased by the slap, was grinning at her as he said, "There she is!" Abruptly standing, he grabbed his beer in one hand and her bottle and cup with the other and turned, walking away.

Sliding from her stool as No Man's Land's hired bodyguards thankfully melted away again, Sakura followed Deidara with a scowl, calling, "Where are you going with my drink?"

"Upstairs," was all he said over his shoulder as he approached the staircase on the left side of the room and began to go up it two steps at a time.

Frowning at his receding back, Sakura muttered, "Could at least wait for me," and then hurried to follow him.

The wooden stairs led to a hallway on the second floor, with doors along either side leading to a bend, around which the hallway continued out of her sight. Deidara ambled down the hallway and then turned the corner. Sakura followed, glancing at the framed paintings on the walls. "This isn't exactly the kind of place I expected to have art on the walls," she mused.

Deidara snorted. "Shitty inn paintings aren't art." He finally reached the end of the hallway and stopped in front of the door on the farthest wall. Looking at both of his occupied hands, he turned toward Sakura and stuck out his hips, telling her, "Stick your hand in my pocket."

Sakura folded her arms, pursing her lips. "Really?"

One corner of Deidara's mouth twitched upward. "The key's in my pocket. I can't reach it with my hands full, yeah."

Unimpressed, Sakura just raised her eyebrows at him. "The question is, do I actually want to go in that room with you? You're kind of an ass."

The curl at the corner of Deidara's mouth had grown into a full smile, now, and he stepped closer to her until his face was inches from hers. Sakura licked her lips unconsciously. He nudged her nose lightly, and when she tilted her head back, he captured her lips with his. It was a simple kiss, but he lingered over it, and his warm lips brought what was becoming the familiar feeling of pleasure rolling over her like an ocean wave.

As he pulled back, Deidara was wearing a surprisingly soft expression on his face. And then Sakura breathed, "Which pocket?" and he grinned.

"Left," he replied, angling his hip toward her. When she slid her hand into the proffered pocket to grasp the key within, he waggled his eyebrows at her, and she rolled her eyes, smiling in spite of herself.

Reaching past him, she slid the key into the lock and then removed it, opening the door. Deidara turned and paraded into the room. Sakura followed, looking around.

The room was surprisingly nice, and spacious as well. Against the far wall was a fairly large bed with a soft-looking bedspread, and on either side of it were neat nightstands that each held a lamp. Closer to the door was a worn but clean-looking couch with a low table in front of it, and between the couch and bed there was a large picture window lined with gauzy curtains that let the afternoon sunlight through.

"It's a lot roomier than I expected," she noted as she lowered her bag to the floor beside the door.

Setting both of their drinks on the coffee table, Deidara turned and fell comfortably back on the couch, his voice casual. "They're not all this big."

Sakura looked at him in surprise. She wondered if he'd actually paid extra for a bigger room, but she didn't want to ask, so she just crossed the room and sat beside him. "Do you stay here a lot?"

"Not too often." Leaning forward, Deidara slowly poured her a cup of sake and then handed it to her, blue eyes keen as he added, "Not unless I have a reason to."

Sakura smiled a little, looking away as she accepted the cup and took a sip of it. She knew she shouldn't have been flattered by Deidara returning to No Man's Land just to see her, but she couldn't help herself. But just coming out and saying that was too difficult, so she changed the subject. "What's art?"

Beer midway through the air to his mouth, Deidara paused, confused. "What?"

"You said the paintings in the hallway aren't art." His Bingo Book entry had also made mention of his obsession with his "art". Sakura looked at him with curiosity and repeated, "What's art?"

Deidara exhaled sharply, finally taking a drink and, she thought, trying to hide his smile. She scowled at him. "You're laughing at me."

Lowering his mug, Deidara proved her right by laughing. "Well, I mean, how are you going to ask a question like that? What's art? You might as well ask..." he paused, flailing his free hand in the air. "I don't know. It's like asking what _time_ is. You either know or you don't."

Sakura rolled her eyes, scoffing. "If you don't have an answer for the question, just say so."

For a moment, Deidara actually glowered at her, and for once she was the one giving him a taunting grin. Then he set his beer down on the table with a thunk and reached to pluck her cup out of her hand, setting it on the table as well. Sakura opened her mouth to ask him what he was doing, but all that came out was a baffled squeak as he grabbed her by the hips and hauled her into his lap.

Before she could do more than blink at him, he'd reached up and curled his hand around the back of her neck, pulling her toward him. He stopped when their mouths were a mere breath away from each other, blue eyes still glaring into hers, as if he was making sure that she was paying attention.

And then his eyes closed and he pressed his lips to hers.

If his kiss in the hallway had been a slow ocean wave, this one was wildfire. He nipped at her lower lip, making her gasp, and when her lips parted, he took full advantage. His tongue stroked hers, stoking the fire that erupted in her belly, and Sakura's hands mindlessly found his shoulders, clenching.

She made an embarrassingly needy sound against his lips, and he finally pulled back slowly, lingeringly. Once they separated Sakura's eyes flickered open, only to find him looking at her intently.

"That's art," he stated.

"Kissing me is art?" she asked, feeling a little breathless.

"The art of a single moment," he explained. "You're just a good example. Kissing you, making you blush." His hand slid around from the back of her neck to cup her face, his thumb brushing over her lips. A look of satisfaction crossed his face as he continued, "Watching you come in a room full of people— _that's_ art."

Sakura could feel her face burning, and Deidara just gave her that lazy smile before he leaned in, the side of his face brushing hers as he murmured in her ear, "And when you come when I'm inside you, that's gonna be art too, yeah."

His words and the feel of his breath on her ear sent tingles through Sakura. As he pressed a slow, hot kiss to her neck, she released a shaky breath and said, "You really are that confident, aren't you?"

"Well," he replied, his lips moving against her neck, "I have gotten you drunk."

That surprised a giggle out of her. "I've barely even taken a sip."

"And gotten you up to my room," he added. One of his hands began sliding down her side and the other followed suit, both squeezing her hips as he pressed another open-mouthed kiss to her neck.

"That's because you stole my drink and took it with you," she protested. But her hands had risen up, her fingers sliding through his silky hair.

"And I don't know if you've noticed, but you're in my lap." His grip on her hips tightened, pulling her into him, she could feel how hard he was getting inside his pants. The feeling of him pressing against her made her fingers tighten in his hair, her nails lightly scratching his scalp, and Deidara responded by biting her neck as a low sound rumbled in his throat.

A little gasp flew from her lips at the sensation. Licking her lips, Sakura adopted a chastising tone that she didn't really mean as she said, "You know, last time we did this you left marks all over my neck. I almost forgot to heal them before Naruto and Gaara saw."

"Sorry," he said, although she wasn't sure she believed him. She felt his tongue stroke the sensitive skin he had just bitten before he asked, "Do you not like it when I mark you?"

Sakura shivered a little in his arms, her hands dropping from his hair to flatten against his chest, and her voice was a breathy whisper as she admitted, "I like it."

One of his hands had moved from her hip and was sliding up her thigh now, slipping beneath her skirt, and she could feel its sharp teeth just barely grazing her skin. He nuzzled his way from her neck back up, and his voice was rough in her ear as he asked, "Where else do you want me to mark you, hellcat?"

As the mouth on her thigh sucked hard on her skin, she took a shaky breath, and then whispered, "Everywhere."

Deidara let out a low sound that she could feel humming in his chest, and the hand that wasn't up her skirt flew up to grip the back of her hair as his mouth crashed into hers in a bruising kiss. A little whimpering noise rose from her throat in response, and then she was letting go and meeting his kiss with equal hunger.

For all her nervousness earlier, now that she was actually here with him, there wasn't a single doubt in her mind about what she wanted. She felt his fingers tighten briefly in her hair before releasing it, his hand falling to her shoulder to begin slowly undoing the fasteners on her qipao. His right hand slid out from her skirt, brushing her arms out of the way, and as he devoured her mouth his fingers went to work. Soon he was opening the dress and peeling the top of it down over her shoulders, exposing her bound breasts to the cool air of the room.

She let him slide the dress off of her arms and it pooled around her waist. Deidara broke from her lips, dragging his mouth down her neck to her collarbone as his hands smoothed around to her back. There was the soft scrape of his teeth against the skin above her bindings, right over her heart, as his deft fingers undid them from the back. He sucked her skin into his mouth, no doubt marking her, as the long strip of fabric began to unravel and fall.

Not content to be the only one losing clothing, Sakura reached down and tugged at the bottom of his shirt, and he obliged her by leaning back far enough to let her pull off his sleeveless shirt and the mesh armor beneath it. Like most shinobi, he had a toned, muscular chest, littered with a few old scars, but her eyes homed in on the stitched mouth on his chest, and the similar stitches on his arms that she had never inspected. As her fingers prodded lightly at the tattooed seam on his chest, he caught her wrist in his hand.

"Stay focused. You can play medic later," he said with a smirk. To punctuate his words, he lifted his other hand, brushing her loose bindings out of the way to cup her breast. She could feel the tongue on his hand licking her skin, and her breath caught as he slowly rolled her nipple between his fingers. "We've got better things to do now, yeah."

He pinched her nipple for extra emphasis, and when Sakura gasped and arched her back, he leaned forward and caught her other nipple in his mouth. She smoothed her hands up his arms, over his shoulders, and down his back, nails lightly dragging on his skin. When he teased her with his teeth and tongue, she hissed her pleasure, rolling her hips into his.

With her skirt riding up around her thighs, it left only the fabric of her panties and his pants separating them, and it was easy to feel how hard he was—and how wet he was already making her. Her nails sunk a little deeper into his skin as she moaned, "Deidara..."

"Fuck," he breathed as her nipple slid from his mouth. "I like it when you scratch me like that, hellcat."

Emboldened, she dragged her nails up his back and into his hair, gripping it more tightly than before and tilting his head back for another kiss. He hummed hungrily against her mouth, and then his hands were suddenly fumbling with the sandals she wore. As soon as he'd pulled them off her feet, he looped his arms under her ass and abruptly stood. Sakura broke their kiss, gripping him with her legs, hands falling from his hair to circle his neck as he walked them toward the bed.

Sakura stood straight as Deidara set her on the floor by the foot of the bed, and he wasted no time in unfastening the last of her dress before pushing it and her loosened bindings to the floor. As she stepped out of both, Deidara drank her in with darkened eyes for a long moment, before abruptly pressing his hand to her shoulder and pushing her back onto the bed.

The mattress bounced beneath her as she landed, and Sakura made a little noise of surprise. Deidara paused in the middle of kicking off his sandals and asked, "I'm not being too rough with you, am I?"

Sakura had already recovered but was fully distracted as her eyes moved over his torso, her gaze lingering on the muscled vee that led into his pants. "No."

Suddenly, Deidara's hand was under her chin, tilting her face up as he braced himself over her. When her eyes met his, he said, "Answer that question when you're not distracted, yeah."

Surprised that he was so concerned, she smiled at him and answered a little bashfully, "I like it."

Even more surprising to Sakura was the way his expression softened for a moment, his eyes affectionate as he said, "Fuck, I like you."

Before she could respond his hand dropped to push her back further onto the bed as he prowled over her, his eyes turning hungry as they moved over the sight of her in nothing but her panties. He pushed a knee between her legs, and when she parted her legs for him, he brought his thigh up against her, making her feel again how wet she was against the thin fabric that separated them. Reaching up, Sakura pulled him down to her, and his hair fell in curtains around her face as she kissed him.

His hands moved everywhere, and everywhere they went, their mouths licked and bit and sucked until Sakura felt like her skin was on fire. She paid him back in kind, her own hands mapping the ridges and planes of his arms, his chest; the way his cock strained against the pants he still hadn't taken off. She tried to unfasten them, but he brushed her hands out of the way with a grin and a whispered, "Not yet".

As he began to make his way down her body the silken ends of his hair tickled the same skin that his mouths had devoured, making her shiver beneath him as he kissed down the soft curve of her stomach, curling both his hands in the waistband of her panties as he pulled them down her legs. He settled back between her thighs once they were off, stopping to suck a livid red mark beneath her navel even as he lifted her legs over his shoulders. His eyes seemed bluer than she'd ever seen them before, and the way they drank her in while she was spread before him made her feel like prey—but unlike prey, she wanted nothing more than to be devoured by him.

The feeling of his breath curling hotly against her wet flesh was the only warning she got before he closed his mouth over her, lips and tongue exploring her folds as Sakura let out a surprised whimper. He had one hand splayed over her hip, the mouth on his palm latching into her skin, and when it bit down, she moaned, her hips jerking forward. His free hand crept back up her torso to fasten another sucking mouth to her nipple, and all along, his eyes watched her.

Sakura writhed beneath his ministrations, her eyes fluttering shut in sheer bliss, and she could only feel as his left hand left her hip and moved further down. His fingers spread her open, leaving her clit even more deliciously vulnerable to his mouth, but it was the feeling of the tongue on his palm slithering out to tease at her folds that made her gasp his name.

It was like he knew exactly how to touch her. Sakura let herself go, each minute making her lose herself more and more until all rational thought had fled her mind.

Her hands flew down to bury themselves in his hair, thoughtlessly pulling. The tighter her grip got, the faster his tongues moved, driving her higher and higher until she was trembling, panting on the edge of orgasm. "Deidara, I'm going to—" she gasped, and then he sucked on her clit, his other tongue suddenly penetrating her, and a ragged cry ripped from Sakura's throat as her climax slammed through her.

With two of his mouths working simultaneously, it was somehow even better than the orgasm he'd given her at the bar. She arched off the bed, her body rigid as he drew every last drop of pleasure from her, until she was whimpering and twitching beneath him.

Sakura's eyes drifted open, and she panted as he finally pulled away from her with a satisfied smile, bringing his hand up to his face. She watched, still incredibly turned on, as he maintained eye contact while wiping off his face. The tongue in his hand briefly peeked out to stroke his primary tongue, and that sight alone made an aftershock go through Sakura, and she let out another shaky whimper as she threw an arm over her eyes. He was going to kill her.

"No tapping out now, hellcat," she heard his voice come, raspy and amused, and felt him press a kiss to her thigh.

"No chance," she said breathlessly as she pulled her arm away from her eyes, only to see him pulling himself to his feet and turning away. "Where are you going?"

He paused, smirking at her over his shoulder. "Well, I was going to get a condom and take off my pants." He gestured unnecessarily at the probably uncomfortable bulge he was sporting.

This time, it was Sakura who smirked as she wriggled slightly on the bedspread, letting her eyes shut again as she reveled in the incredible orgasm he'd just given her. "You can take off the pants, but you don't know how good of a medic I am if you think we need a condom."

Deidara hummed thoughtfully, and she thought she could detect an impressed note in his voice. She heard the sound of him shedding his pants, and then the mattress dipped as he climbed back onto the bed between her legs. The brush of his hair against her cheeks, and then of his lips against hers, caused her to smile and wrap her arms around his neck. The feeling of his calloused fingers trailing down her body made her shiver, and then he was rubbing the swollen head of his cock against her dripping folds.

"Is that your way of saying you want me to come inside you, yeah?" he asked, his voice low and rough against her ear.

"Yes, please," she breathed.

A soft chuckle erupted above her and she snapped her eyes open to see him grinning down at her, even as he teased her still. "Don't start getting polite on me now," he said, deliberately rubbing himself against her overly sensitized clit.

Sakura bit her lip at the sensation, and further emboldened by—well, by literally everything that had happened between them—she reached up and grabbed a fistful of his hair, pulled him in for another kiss before glaring at him. "Fine. I want you to fuck me, damn it."

"And...?" he teased, pressing just the head of his cock past her entrance.

"I hate you," she whined, even as she tipped her hips up to receive him, needing to have him inside her. He slid another inch inside her, but she wanted to feel him filling her. If she was honest, she'd been wanting it for weeks. Her fingers slid from his hair to his back, her nails digging in slightly as she finally demanded, "And then I want you to come inside me."

"There's my hellcat," he murmured, pleased, and then he slid himself home.

Sakura's loud whimper as he filled her rang in the still room, but it wasn't enough to cover up his groan as he bottomed out, her slick sheath pulsing around him. He just grinded against her for a moment, catching her full lower lip between his teeth before he released it, his hips drawing back and then snapping forward again, harder than before. It made her entire body throb, and she desperately pleaded, "Please, Deidara, _more_ —"

"Fuck," he hissed, and then he was gone, steadily fucking her with rough thrusts, her hips coming up to meet his. He had one hand on her waist like iron, and when the other came up to grab the back of her thigh, opening her further, she could feel its mouth latching onto her with a pleasure-pain that made her voice creep higher as she moaned.

He was insatiable. Sakura matched him, and when her fingers clawed at his back as he struck her sweet spot over and over again, he only growled and doubled down, fucking rhythmic cries out of her each time his body slapped into hers.

It was not lovemaking. It was desperate, hungry fucking like Sakura had never experienced, and her need only grew as they crashed into each other repeatedly, harder, _harder_. When she tried to close her eyes the hand on her hip moved to her breast, palming it and catching her nipple in its teeth, and her eyes flew open as it ripped another moan out of her.

His voice was a demand as he rasped, "Keep your eyes open. I want to watch you come while I'm fucking you."

Keeping her eyes locked with his while he moved inside her just made everything seem more sudden, more overwhelming, and Sakura whimpered, "Deidara, _fuck_ ," the sensations he was sending through her making her just as profane as him. Already, she felt like she was so close, still lingering on the high from her last orgasm, each nerve in her body on fire. She could feel herself throbbing around his cock with every thrust, and by the time she approached her second orgasm, she wasn't even capable of words anymore.

Their sweat-slickened bodies moved in perfect harmony as she arched beneath him, her body going stiff as her pleasure reached its crisis point, and her moans were a scream as she came for him again. He was relentless as he pulled her pleasure out of her, driving her until she was trembling beneath him, the mouths of his hands still latched onto the skin of her breast and hip.

When he finally slowed, still moving in her as he let her come down from her peak, she pulled him down to her, curling her legs around his waist and gasping for air against his shoulder. He pulled back enough to kiss her forehead, and then he murmured, "Again."

Having just barely caught her breath, Sakura didn't have time to respond before he abruptly straightened, pulled out of her, and flipped her over.

"You're crazy," she said with a gasping laugh, catching a glimpse of his grin before she was faced forward. She felt his cock brush her entrance before pushing into her again, making her release a low moan. "I don't think I can again," she said weakly as he smoothed his hands over her back and around to her ribs, pulling her back against his chest as he filled her with slow, lingering strokes. She was certainly willing to try, though.

"What's wrong, Sakura? Don't you want to come when I do?" he teased, his left hand creeping down between her legs, where she could feel its hot tongue tauntingly licking around her clit. He might've had the presence of mind to tease her, but his voice held a ragged edge as he spoke lower by her ear. "Don't you want to come while I fill you up?"

She didn't know how he did it, but his crude words made her entire body throb. They were followed by the mouth between her legs closing around her clit, softly sucking on the engorged nub. As he moved inside her, speeding up his thrusts, a broken moan ripped from her mouth and she gasped, " _Yes..."_

"Fuck," he groaned again, and now his voice was becoming as broken as hers, his breath hot on her neck. The hand that wasn't between her legs crossed her chest, holding her in place, his palm covering her breast and engulfing her nipple in its mouth. They moved together like they had been made for the purpose, with Sakura braced to receive his thrusts that steadily increased in speed and force. She'd never felt like this, like she was drunk on the sheer, overwhelming need to have him inside her, pushing her, making her forget everything but him.

When a particular stroke of the tongue between her legs made her spasm and cry out, his hips stuttered and then increased their pace. "That's it, hellcat, one more time..."

As her body began to quake, so close to release, she fell forward onto her hands, clenching the blanket beneath them as she keened. Deidara followed her, and she pushed back her hips to meet his rough thrusts as he groaned, his voice strained. Her mouth snapped open, but nothing came out, her wind struck from her as she exploded into one final orgasm, her inner walls quaking around him.

Deidara growled into her shoulder, his teeth biting into her skin, and she could feel his warmth spreading inside her as he came, propelling her further. The sound that finally left her was something like a sob as they came together, his hips raggedly grinding against hers as they shuddered against each other.

Little panting whimpers escaped Sakura's lips as she began to come down again, her whole body still throbbing as she tried to catch her breath. The hand between her legs moved to splay across her stomach, the one at her breast moving to support her by her shoulders, and Deidara pressed a soft kiss to the love bite he'd just left on her shoulder, murmuring, "Maybe you shouldn't have told me you wanted me to mark you everywhere, yeah."

Sakura let out a breathless laugh and turned her head, reaching with a shaky hand to cup his face and bring it in for a kiss. It was more tender than she expected, and she lingered for a moment before parting from him. As he slowly pulled out of her, she shuddered again and then let herself drop bonelessly to her side on the bedspread.

Deidara fell beside her, facing her, his breath coming as fast as hers. For a moment they didn't speak, and Sakura wondered if he was waiting for his heart to stop pounding the way she was. Still in a kind of shock from the explosion—many explosions—that had just occurred, when she opened her mouth to speak, the only thing that came out was a dazed, "Where the hell did that come from?"

A rough laugh erupted from Deidara, and he cleared his throat before replying, "I've been thinking about doing that for months." A very satisfied smile curled his lips.

"I thought that last one was going to kill me," she said in a mystified voice.

A distinct level of smugness was creeping over Deidara's face now. "I could've gotten more outta you, yeah."

"No way," Sakura protested, considering the way her legs felt like they were liquids as she shifted them on the bed.

"Besides, I had to make it count," he said carelessly, reaching out to trace the red love bite he'd left below her navel. "Didn't know if I'd see you again."

Sakura blinked, raising her head a little. She knew she wanted to see him again, of course, but she'd honestly figured that he wasn't that attached to their... situation. "Do you want to see me again?"

"Stop looking at me like that," he said, and she thought she detected a faint note of embarrassment in his voice. Rolling over onto his back, he reached up and folded his arms behind his head, closing his eyes. "I didn't mean anything by it."

"Oh," she replied, setting her head back down. But she was smiling a little—he sounded kind of defensive.

"For all I know," Deidara continued, his voice casual, "you do this every weekend with a different guy." There was a pause that felt longer than it probably was, and then he peeked one bright blue eye open. "Do you?"

"Oh, yeah," Sakura said, her voice threatening to crack at the sight of him clearly trying very hard to continue to act casual. "There's definitely a guy every weekend. Sometimes two or three," she added, her voice getting a little higher until she burst into giggles at the scowl that had taken over his face.

His eyes narrowed. Still, he rolled back onto his side and pulled her toward him, even as she continued to softly snicker. His mouth twitched slightly as he said, "You're not as funny as you think you are." Finally breaking into a smile, he asked, "You gonna stay the night, hellcat?"

He was so handsome, with a smile that was softer than the wicked grin he usually sported. She smiled back.

"Definitely."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again to everyone who has been reviewing! I hope everyone is staying safe!


	6. The way you sparkle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here, have some more smut! Not all of the chapters will have smut… just a lot of them. This was supposed to just be a smutty one-shot, after all. Anything fluffy happenings outside of that are completely Deidara's fault, and I absolve myself of all responsibility. Believe me when I tell you that I had zero control over what he did in this story. Deidara does what he wants.

Sakura woke to the distant ache of a body that was sore in all the right places. She felt limp, completely relaxed—but it was the feeling of being in a strange bed that made her eyes snap open.

As her eyes swam into focus in the early morning light, the first thing she saw was stitched skin mere inches from her face. Blinking, she drew her head back slightly. Deidara lay next to her, stretched out on his stomach with his arms folded beneath his head, the stitches on his arm right where her face had been. Her eyes flickered down, and she was able to see the way the blanket pulled over his lower half hung just low enough to expose one bare hip, letting her know that he was wearing as little on the bottom as he was on the top. She wasn't wearing anything either—beneath her half of the blanket, she'd balled herself into a little naked knot.

For a minute she was embarrassed at her own lack of clothing, but then she had to admit that after the night they'd spent together, there really wasn't anything that Deidara hadn't seen. Besides, at the moment, her nudity wasn't of interest to her—tracing the lean lines of Deidara's body with her eyes was much more fascinating. She took full advantage of the fact that he was dead to the world to admire him.

He muttered something unintelligible in his sleep, drawing her eyes to his face—or what she could see of it. The bottom half of his face was buried in the crook of his arm, and the mussed silken curtain of his hair had fallen over one eye. The eye that was still visible was shut, the brow above it smooth and serene. Sakura smiled, reaching out a hand and gingerly pushing his hair out of his face.

Maybe she should've been wracked with morning-after guilt, or asking herself what all of this meant and examining her feelings. After all, she'd spent the night getting intimate with—no, _fucking_ —a missing-nin that had previously been an enemy of her village. But the magic of being around Deidara was that, at least for a little while, those worries melted away—and she wanted to linger in the bubble of that magic as long as possible.

The night before had been amazing. Not just the sex—they'd also had surprisingly good food from No Man's Land's kitchen, and when they hadn't been fucking, they'd talked. Not about anything too deep—mostly things like how Fire Country differed from Earth Country, where Deidara came from. She'd asked him about art again, and he'd gone on at length, occasionally bickering with her when she'd poke fun at him for being so obsessed. The edge of antagonism on their banter that had been previously established didn't disappear, but rather had turned into something approaching comfortable. Sakura had been surprised by how much she'd enjoyed herself, even after their attraction to each other had been temporarily sated.

And then there was the shower they'd enjoyed together, where he'd taken her against the wall, the cold tile against her skin acting as the perfect contrast to the heat of him inside her. That had been amazing, too.

Carefully disentangling herself from her half of the blanket, Sakura slid out of the bed and padded on silent feet toward the bathroom. Thoughts of the shower had made her realize how much she needed to use the bathroom, and the first thing she focused on upon entering it was the large tub that the room featured. By the standards she was used to, it was huge, and she really wanted to use it. Now would be the perfect time—and she had a little bottle of body wash in her bag that would probably make some decent bubbles.

As she set about freshening up first, she caught sight of herself in the mirror and had to blush. She had reddish love bites littering her body—on her neck, her chest, her hip, her inner thigh. There was a particularly livid one right above her neatly trimmed thatch of pink curls.

Still blushing, Sakura tiptoed back out of the bathroom and toward where she'd left her bag near the foot of the bed. From her higher vantage point she could see what she hadn't before—long parallel scratches like claw marks in various places on Deidara's back, angry and scarlet against his fair skin. She knew that beneath the hair that lay draped over his shoulder he had several love bites of his own, and the ones she'd given him were worse than the ones he'd given her—or maybe better. She wasn't sure she knew anymore.

As she plucked the bottle of pink body wash from the bag, Sakura did her best to be quiet, but Deidara still stirred. His one visible eye peeked open, flashing that brilliant blue that was softer in the morning light, and she heard him grumble a muffled, "You're insane."

Sakura grinned a little as she sat beside him. "Good morning to you, too. I didn't mean to wake you."

She watched his gaze move over her body, fighting the urge to cover herself, refusing to let herself be embarrassed for something he'd already seen. His expression was frankly appreciative, but when he spoke, his voice was still grumbly. "I've been awake ever since you moved my hair out of my face like a big romantic sap." That lone blue eye crinkled in amusement.

Sakura huffed, "I am not a sap."

Deidara rolled onto his side, snaking out an arm and grabbing her around the waist. Sakura laughed as he unceremoniously pulled her down to lie beside him, her back to his chest as he buried his face against her shoulder. Still muffled, he grumbled, "Too fucking early. Why the hell are you awake?" With little to no grace, he threw his leg over hers, effectively pinning her down.

She wriggled a little in his grasp. "I always get up this early. Besides, I wanted to take a bath. My apartment's bathtub is tiny compared to the one you have here." Reaching back behind her, she poked him in the ribs.

Deidara grunted and released her, his mouth stretching into a yawn. Still, his reflexes were quick enough that when she finally stood from the bed, his arm darted out and he was able to deliver a quick smack to her ass. When Sakura turned and glared at him, he just smiled lazily.

"That hurt," she lied.

He gave her a simpering pout that was no less comedic because of his sleepy eyes. "Are you going to be okay? Do you think you can make it?" he asked, his voice full of grave concern that wasn't in the least bit believable.

"You're extra snarky in the morning." Trying not to smile, unwilling to encourage him, she tossed "idiot" over her shoulder before picking up her bag and walking back into the bathroom, fully aware that it gave him a great view of what was no doubt a bright red handprint on her ass.

The smile finally broke through as she ran a bath, pouring in a liberal amount of the body wash. It had come in a gift basket Ino had sent her on her birthday. It was pink, very sparkly, and smelled like candy. Sakura knew there was a good chance that she, too, would be sparkly after the bath, but who cared? This was pretty much her vacation. She deserved to get sparkly.

When bubbles had filled the bath almost to the brim, Sakura turned off the water and slowly eased herself into it, hissing with pleasure. She'd run the water at the perfect temperature, hot enough to fill the bathroom with steam, and it felt miraculous on muscles that were slightly sore from the activities of the day before. Sighing happily, she laid back, resting her head on the edge of the tub and closing her eyes.

Her moment of pure relaxation was almost immediately interrupted by the sound of the bathroom door swinging wide, and Sakura's eyes snapped open. Deidara ambled into the room, naked as the day he was born, his hair still mussed and sticking out in odd places. She was just admiring the flexing muscles of his ass when he flipped the toilet seat up and began to relieve himself.

"What are you doing?" Sakura squeaked, quickly looking away.

"What kind of medic are you if I really have to answer that?" Deidara returned.

"That is not the point!" Sakura snapped, turning back to peek at him without thinking. He did have a nice ass. And back. And arms and legs.

"What _is_ your point, then?"

Sakura sputtered. "Appropriateness!"

Flashing her an amused look over his shoulder, Deidara asked, "You know you've had this in your mouth before, right?" He flushed the toilet before she could answer, walking over to the sink and turning on the water to wash his hands.

Sakura just narrowed her eyes and sank further into the bath as he washed his hands and then more or less smoothed his hair into something closer to neatness. When he was finished, though, he didn't walk to the door like she expected, but instead walked over to the bath and made a shooing motion. His hands were both sticking out their tongues, taunting.

"What?" Sakura asked defensively, not wanting to give up her bath.

Deidara sighed dramatically and leaned forward, pressing fingers that were ice-cold from the sink to the warm skin of her neck. She shrieked and lunged forward, nearly sloshing water over the side.

"Thanks," Deidara said as he stepped into the bath behind her. Now water and bubbles did slosh over the sides, splashing onto the floor.

"This is _my_ bath—" Sakura began as he grabbed her by the waist and arranged her to his liking, stretching his legs out on either side of her.

"Now it's _our_ bath, yeah," he replied, and she could hear the grin in his voice.

She scowled. Just for that, she decided not to tell him about the sparkles in the bath gel she had used.

"You're making a huge mess," Sakura protested, peeking over the side of the tub at the water and bubbles on the bathroom floor.

"You worry too much," he said, pulling her back again to lie against his chest.

"This was supposed to be relaxing, you know," Sakura sulked, even as she settled back against him. His chest was much more comfortable than the hard surface of the bathtub.

"Then relax, yeah," Deidara said in what was probably supposed to be a soothing voice, but coming from him it sounded more like he was holding back a laugh. Further scolding was about to come out of her mouth when he raised his hands and slid his fingers into her hair, slowly rubbing her scalp. In spite of herself, Sakura melted.

Letting her neck and shoulders relax, Sakura succumbed to the gentle pleasure of the massage, closing her eyes. At some point Deidara stopped long enough to drop his hands in the water, grab her by the waist, and pull her up so that she was in his lap rather than between his legs. Sakura was happy to let him move her, especially since he immediately returned his hands to her hair. Beneath her, she could feel him somewhat hard against her back, but he ignored it, so she did too.

"You gonna be staying a while, hellcat?" he murmured, his voice rumbling through his chest.

Sakura opened her eyes, frowning slightly. "I was actually going to leave after this."

There was a brief pause in the slow movement of his fingers, and then they started again. "Too soon," he stated decisively. "You just got here."

"I know," she sighed. "But it was hard to get much time off, especially on such short notice. They need me."

Deidara clicked his tongue derisively. "What about what you need, yeah?" He said it in a light voice, but Sakura had a feeling it was a more serious question than he was letting on. As he spoke his fingers slid out of her hair and into the water, until they were lightly stroking her sides.

Taking his question seriously was too much for Sakura to want to handle at the moment, so when she responded, her voice was similarly light. "I thought you were supposed to be helping me relax instead of asking me questions."

Any seriousness that was in his voice before was gone, and she could hear him grin as he said, "I can do that."

As he slid his right hand over her stomach, his left creeping down her leg, Sakura could feel the tongues of both stroking over her skin. She closed her eyes again, relishing in the feeling, and thought, not for the first time, that his hands might be the most amazing thing she'd ever seen—or felt. That, unfortunately, led her her mind to wander, thinking how popular he must be with women... which led her to think of him asking her about whether she was seeing other people... and that made her suddenly exclaim, "Hey!"

Deidara's hands froze, and he sounded startled when he asked, "What?"

Turning, Sakura glared at him accusingly. "You asked me last night if I'd been seeing anyone else, but you never said if you were."

Deidara blinked at her before he broke into a devious grin. "You sound jealous, yeah." His hands started moving again, one sliding over her waist while the other lingered on her thigh.

She sniffed and turned forward again, trying to hide the embarrassed flush on her cheeks. "That's not an answer."

The hand on her waist squeezed her, and his voice was heavy with humor. "Oh, there are lots of women. Men too. Sometimes two or three in a weekend," he snarked, repeating her assertion from the night before.

"Did you get into this tub just to irritate me?" she asked, hiding the fact that his sarcastic answer had actually made her feel pretty relieved.

Lifting a hand out of the water, he put a dripping finger under her chin and tipped her face back toward him. As their faces were brought together, Deidara leaned in as if to kiss her, stopping just short to grin and say, "Yep."

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him, and then turned her head away as punishment. She shifted to the side just enough for her elbow to catch him in the gut, and he let out a dramatic 'oof'. "Two or three in a weekend, huh?" she asked disapprovingly.

"C'mon, hellcat," he teased, having obviously recovered. "You realize most people think these are gross, right?" he asked, holding his dripping hands out of the water. Both of their mouths clacked their teeth at her.

Sakura blinked, turning back toward him. She hadn't considered that. "But they can..." She trailed off, blushing.

Deidara gave her a slow grin. "Yeah, well, maybe most women aren't as dirty as you are."

She thought about being insulted by that, but instead she decided to borrow a little of Ino's moxy and turn her nose up into the air. "I think you meant they just lack my imagination."

Dropping his hands back beneath the bubbles, Deidara ran his hands over her arms and then beneath them, and Sakura could feel the brush of tongues against her sides. "You're definitely one of a kind," he agreed approvingly. "Especially since I think there's a good chance you could kick my ass." He said the second part with great relish.

"That really shouldn't turn you on as much as it does," she said, laughing. "You know there's something wrong with you, right?" she asked, turning back to face him.

He just gave her a smug look and responded, "Then how come you like me so much?"

"There's something wrong with me, too," she answered, with a dramatic remorse she didn't really feel. When he just laughed, she smiled. She didn't know why it made her feel so good to make him laugh—it always made her feel like she was winning some game they'd been secretly playing.

"Good," was all he said in reply, reaching for her legs and hips beneath the bubbles. Water sloshed over the side again as he moved her to sit sideways, the bath just large enough for her to curl up her legs and sit sidesaddle, making it easier to see him. "Say, you know what else is great about my hands?" he asked, his left hand sliding up the inside of her thigh.

"What?" she asked, her breath catching as the mouth on his hand dragged its teeth over her sensitive skin.

His right hand slid up her back, over her neck and into the already-damp strands of her hair, tightening painlessly as he pulled her face closer to his. "They don't need to breathe," he murmured against her lips, finally kissing her at the same time that the hand on his palm drew its tongue up through her folds.

She sighed against his mouth as his hand moved between her legs, the feeling of his second tongue swirling against her in the hot water delicious enough to make her stomach tighten. Even with the water's tendency to wash away her natural lubrication, everything felt warm and liquid and tantalizing. When he pulled at her hair to tilt her head, she bared her neck to him, letting him kiss his way down to the sensitive spot beneath her ear. He bit it softly at the same time as his hand's wicked tongue teased its way inside her, and she let out a moan.

She could feel him, thick and hard and pressing at the juncture of her legs, knowing how much he wanted her. As she spread her thighs to better accommodate his hand, feeling his tongue slide back out of her and flatten over her clit before his mouth closed over it, sucking, she sighed, "You're really fucking good at that."

She could feel him smile against her neck. "Being around me is making you more foul-mouthed," he said proudly.

"You're definitely ruining me," she said breathily, licking her lips as a particularly strong bolt of pleasure went through her. It was becoming difficult to talk. She moved in his lap, pressing herself harder against him.

He nuzzled into her neck again, his tongue laving the spot where he'd just bitten. "I like that you show me your dirty side," he said, his voice becoming husky. Beneath the water, his fingers brushed at her entrance as the mouth on his palm continued to surround her clit with warm, swirling pleasure. His other hand released her hair and slid back down to her waist, holding her in place as he slowly ground his cock against her.

Sakura's hands were suddenly hungry, and she stroked one up the arm between her legs as the other reached up, cupping the side of his face. As she pulled him in for a kiss, catching his lower lip between her teeth before pressing her lips to his more fully, he made a low noise against her mouth, one of his fingers sliding into her. Whimpering, Sakura sucked on his tongue as it slipped into her mouth, and Deidara responded by curling his finger inside her, the mouth in his palm teasing her clit to an even higher state of arousal.

She broke from the kiss as another moan escaped her, her breath coming faster as he brought her closer to her peak. Leaning his forehead against the side of her head, Deidara's own breath was beginning to sound a little ragged as he rumbled, "I want to put you over the side of this tub and fuck you right now."

"Deidara, please..." she whispered, her hand tightening on his arm. She was becoming so dizzy with need she barely knew what she was saying—but she knew exactly what she wanted.

As she gave another little gasp, Deidara tensed beneath her and suddenly pulled his hand out from between her legs. Before she could react, he'd looped his arm around her waist and was standing, water cascading off them both as he turned her to face the edge of the tub. Sakura found her feet just in time for him to release her, his ever-wicked left hand snaking back between her legs as his right arm came around her torso. "Tell me what you want, hellcat," he murmured, pressing himself against her back, his cock hard and insistent.

Sakura just moaned as his left hand began to lick between her legs again, helping return the slick wetness that had been rinsed away by the water. When his right hand smoothed up over her ribs, cupping one breast as its tongue stroked her nipple, Sakura writhed against him, hearing his breath catch as she rubbed her wet skin against his erection. "Deidara," she moaned again, one hand reaching up and behind her to tangle in his hair.

"You're so sensitive for me, yeah," he said. She proved his point by gasping as his tongue circled her nipple, toying with it. His voice was ragged as he commanded again, "Tell me what you want."

The hand that wasn't in his hair reached behind her to find his cock, throbbing and extra hot from the bath, and she stroked it, needily whimpering, "I want you to fuck me."

"Bend over," he said roughly, his voice holding an edge of desperation. She released him to bend forward, bracing her palms against the wall as she looked back at him over her shoulder. He locked eyes with her, hissing, "Fuck," as he pressed his cock to her entrance and eased himself into her heated grip.

Everything he'd done in the bath had already brought her so close to the edge, and she dangled there now as he teased her with long, slow strokes, their bodies slick against each other. With both of their lower legs still in the water, too much movement probably wasn't wise, but Deidara obviously didn't care as he pushed into her a little harder, a little quicker, making her gasp as he hit just the right spot.

As Sakura's inner walls throbbed around him, Deidara leaned forward to press his chest against her back, his arms coming around her again. His teasing strokes grew shorter and more intense as his left hand slid between her legs again, its mouth beginning to suck, and Sakura's gasp caught in her throat as her orgasm hit her from out of nowhere, making her legs tremble beneath her as she arched back against him. She pressed her ass back against him, needing to keep him inside her.

Deidara's other hand smoothed up her stomach to her chest, holding her against him as she came. As she shook against him, panting, he continued to fuck her with those short, strong strokes. His breath was quick in her ear as he breathed, "Fuck, Sakura," his voice strained. But even as she began to come down, he stayed hard inside her, slowly moving and drawing out each drop of her orgasm.

As she licked her lips, trying to catch her breath, he pulled out of her, sending another delicious shiver through her body. She opened her mouth to ask him where he thought he was going, but the only thing that came out was a squeak as he turned her sideways and then abruptly lifted her in his arms. Stepping out of the bath, he splashed in the sizable puddle that was already on the floor, both of them dripping as she finally asked him, "What are you doing?"

"Getting you on the fucking bed," he rasped, ignoring the watery path he was leaving as he walked toward the door.

The sheer determination in his voice made her laugh, still a little breathless, as she managed to reach out and snag one of the large fluffy towels that hung from the nearby rack. Deidara kindly hesitated just long enough for her to pull it free before he strode out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom.

He set her down by the bed, taking the towel from her and throwing it around her like a cape. She bit her lip, her eyes smiling at him, filled with a combination of amusement and still-strong desire, and he paused for just a moment. Tipping his head down, he captured her lips in a lingering kiss, and she pressed herself against him, his hard cock trapped between them and sliding against her wet skin. Breaking the kiss, he locked eyes with her, and then—with a devilish smirk—shoved her back onto the bed.

Sakura fell back with a soft laugh, landing on the towel with her arms out to catch herself. When she was spread before him, he just stood there looking at her for a moment. The lingering smirk on his handsome face, the hungry look in his eyes—they made Sakura feel like she was flushing all over, and when he took his cock in his hand, the tongue in his palm sliding against its shaft, she bit her lip.

His eyes dropped to her mouth, and releasing himself, he curled his hands beneath her knees, pulling her roughly until her ass hung off the edge of the bed. As he pushed her knees back toward her chest, leaning into her, his cock brushing against her still-sodden folds, he rasped, "I really fucking want you."

With one hand, Sakura reached up to slide her fingers into his hair and pull him down for another kiss, while her other hand reached between them to find his hard length, rubbing him right against her entrance. Against his lips, she whispered, "Show me," and with a groan he sheathed himself in her again in one smooth motion.

The sudden sensation of being full again made Sakura gasp, and he didn't let her catch her breath, snapping his hips against her even harder. The slower pace from the bathtub was gone now, and Deidara held her legs open as he thrusted into her, breaking from her lips to drag his mouth down to her neck, teeth dragging. "Deidara," she whimpered, her hands sliding from his hair to his back, nails raking. "Don't stop. I want to feel you come—"

Her words broke off as he growled, leaning back enough to impatiently push her legs so that they were over his shoulders, leaving her even more vulnerable to his thrusts. The pitch of her whimpers shot higher as the new position allowed him to drive even deeper, and his thrusts were merciless. She cried out wordlessly, angling her hips toward him just right to receive him perfectly, his pelvis smacking into her overly sensitive clit each time he bottomed out. It seemed like it was so easy for him to bring her back from her last orgasm, wake up her nerves and set them afire again.

“Fuck. You're fucking tight,” Deidara said roughly, and Sakura could feel herself flutter around him, her thighs trembling. Every time he talked to her like that in that voice she throbbed, like something in his grunted words and profanity had a direct link between her legs. Deidara, clever man, seemed to notice, because a grin crept through the strain on his face. “You like it when I say dirty things to you, don't you hellcat?”

“Yes,” she moaned, too far gone to fake modesty, past all point of embarrassment. “Deidara, I'm close—”

He somehow picked up his pace, his left hand coming around her thigh so that it's long tongue could snake out toward her clit. His eyes were blazing down on her as he rasped, "Do you want me to keep talking to you, Sakura? Tell you how I'm going to make you come all over my cock?"

"Gods—" His words, the tongue between her legs, his pistoning cock—they all combined to drive her over the edge, and his name left her in a gasping moan as she arched violently beneath him, writhing on the towel as he made her explode.

As she clenched around him, Deidara squeezed his eyes shut, gritting out, "Oh, fuck," and then his hips were slamming into her, his orgasm chasing hers, warmth swelling inside her. Sakura let out a sob as Deidara gave her a few last ragged thrusts, her body shuddering with his, her hands fisting in the towel beneath her.

As Deidara let out a last, low groan and leaned forward, Sakura widened her shaky legs to accommodate him, bringing them down from his shoulders. He rested his damp brow against hers as they both panted, and Sakura reached up to push his hair out of both of their faces. When an aftershock made her throb around him and his dick gave an answering twitch, she giggled, and he gave her a somewhat ragged grin in response. Nudging her nose with his, he kissed her, and she hummed happily as she returned it.

Slowly easing himself out of her with a muted hiss, Deidara climbed onto the bed beside her, and Sakura pushed herself further up so that her legs weren't hanging over the side, both of them unmindful of the errant drops of water that still clung to their skin. Deidara's eyes were heavily lidded as he idly traced his finger down her chest, between her breasts. Still a little breathless, she asked, "Remember when I said I was going to leave soon?"

"Mm-hmm," Deidara murmured, leaning on one elbow as he lowered his face to take her nipple between his lips. His fingers had trailed down her stomach now, and Sakura sucked in a breath at the slightly ticklish feeling. Her body still felt like it was on fire.

His fingers trailed lower, until they were teasing right where she could feel him leaking out of her. "If this is how you're going to react every time I need to leave, then—" she began, but her words ended in a shuddery breath as one of his deft fingers slid through her folds.

Releasing her nipple from his mouth, Deidara gave her a curling smile as he looked down at her. "You're dripping with me, hellcat," he murmured as he deliberately gathered up some of his cum on the pad of his finger before rubbing it onto her clit in a soft circle. She whimpered as a tremor immediately went through her, every nerve that hadn't yet settled down from her last climax flaring back to life.

Sakura let her eyes flutter shut, a flush of heat washing over her. She didn't know how he did it, how he barely had to touch her and she was whimpering for him—how the sometimes crude things that he said to her only made her want him more. As his finger continued to move in those slick, maddening, wonderful circles, he leaned down and kissed her, slow and achingly soft.

Sakura keened against his lips, burying her hands in his hair as her whole body trembled again.

As he kissed her, she spiraled higher, like she hadn't just come twice—like her body had been built to respond to him. When she began to shudder beneath his touch, she felt him pull away from her kiss, opening her eyes to the sight of him watching her. He murmured, "One more time, yeah?" and like she'd been commanded, she fell apart, this climax moving through her like a wave, all swells and crests.

As she slowly floated back down to earth, unable to control the occasional twitches that jerked her body, Deidara had that lazy smile, his blonde forelock falling over his left eye. Tossing it out of the way, he propped his chin up on one hand and mused, "Then what?"

It took Sakura a second to summon the ability to form a word. "What?"

"You said, 'If this is how you're going to react every time I need to leave, then—' but then you didn't say anything." His eyes were glinting with amusement. "Then what?"

"Oh." A helplessly silly smile curled Sakura's lips as she stretched slowly on the bed. He watched her body move with obvious appreciation. "Then I'm going to have to leave more often."

"Or you could just not leave," he replied easily.

Sakura froze, her heart skipping a beat as she looked at him.

Deidara's eyes widened, and a distinct tinge of red colored his cheeks. "I meant right now—not, like, forever," he blustered.

At the sight of him red-faced and bumbling and cute, Sakura burst into laughter, which only increased when he gave her a scowl. "You looked... so scared..." she gasped between giggles, and his scowl only deepened, sending her into peals of laughter all over again.

"You know, I don't have to take this from the kind of jerk who would just leave a huge mess in the bathroom," he said judgmentally. Though he was still scowling, the amused gleam had returned to his eyes.

Sakura gasped with indignation. "That was your fault!" She pushed his chest, and he caught her hand in the one that wasn't propping up his chin.

He was grinning at her now. "Just completely flooding the bathroom. What a messy girl."

"You are so stupid," she insisted, not sure why she was grinning back. He really was an idiot.

Pressing the palm of his hand against hers, he asked, "So, when are you coming back?"

"I've been thinking about that," Sakura said, biting her lip.

"And?" One by one, Deidara wove their fingers together.

"I think it's going to be a while," she sighed. "It's going to be difficult for me to get away for at least another month."

Deidara hummed thoughtfully, and the mouth in his hand pressed its lips to the shell of her palm. "So, in a month?"

"In a month," she agreed, unsure why she suddenly felt shy.

He smiled at her, rolling onto his back and breaking the moment. Releasing her hand, he folded both of his arms behind his head. Tipping his head down a bit to throw her a devious look, he said, "Better clean up before you go, or you'll be leaving a trail of me all the way home."

As she rolled off of the bed and stood, Sakura flushed, giving him her best disapproving face. "You are so gross."

"You like it," he replied with a grin.

"There's no way I'm admitting to that," Sakura said over her shoulder as she headed toward the bathroom. As she went about cleaning up and then walking back out to put her clothes on, it was difficult to hide the fact that her legs were shaky—which might've had something to do with the little smile that Deidara had when he finally got up himself, shuffling into the bathroom for a few minutes before emerging and putting on pants.

When Sakura walked to the door and gathered up her bag, Deidara followed her, and she turned to face him. Standing by the door had brought him into the beam of sun that was coming in through the window, and she saw what she hadn't before—his arms were faintly shimmery, no doubt from the candy-scented concoction she'd put in the bath. Sakura quickly pressed her lips together to suppress a smile.

He tilted his head, hair falling over his eye as he said, "See you in a month, hellcat."

"What are you going to be doing for a whole month?" she asked, unable to withhold her curiosity. There were so many things about him she didn't know.

"Oh, you know," he began thoughtfully, "fucking lots of different people. Probably two or three at a time, yeah."

She stabbed a finger at his stomach, making him have to dodge her. "You're just going to keep beating that dead horse, aren't you?"

He grinned at her. "Yep."

"Goodbye, Deidara," she said firmly, turning to open the door and step through it. But before she'd fully made it into the hall, he caught her by the wrist and tugged her back in his direction.

The kiss he gave her was sweet and short—just long enough to get her to melt against him. Point apparently made, Deidara pulled back and said, "Bye Sakura."

As he released her Sakura stepped back, smiling at him before she turned and began to walk down the hall.

"Sakura?" she heard him call behind her.

Pausing, Sakura turned again, taking in the sight of Deidara still standing in the doorway. He was holding one of his arms up in the sunlight that beamed in through the window, his eyes narrowed. "Do I look kind of twinkly to you?"

Letting out a strangled snort, Sakura turned and beelined down the hallway before he could connect her to his newfound twinkliness, turning the corner just as she heard him say "Hey!" behind her.

She was still laughing to herself when she left No Man's Land, her heart pleasantly light.


	7. The way you back me up

Sakura burst through the doors of No Man's Land, her eyes wider than normal as they swept the crowds of ninja gathered within. When she saw Deidara sitting at the bar she nearly ran toward him.

He turned as she approached, his usual lazy smile stretching across his lips as he watched her beeline toward him. "Hey hellcat, what's the hurry? Are you—"

She cut him off, grabbing him by the arm. "You have to leave. Now."

His demeanor immediately changed. The arm that wasn't grasped in her hands dropped to one of the pouches on his hip, and he was frowning as he said, "What the hell is going on? Is someone following you?"

"Yes!" Sakura said quickly, pulling him off the stool. "Go upstairs, leave out the window, I don't care, you just need to—"

"Fooooorehead!" came Ino's lilting voice behind her, singing through the noise of the bar.

"Damn it," Sakura whimpered, ignoring Deidara's confused look as she turned to look back at the entrance. Ino was parading through the doorway like she was on a red carpet, and Sai and Naruto were right behind her. Closing her eyes briefly, she finally gave Deidara a mournful look and said, "I tried to warn you."

Deidara still looked incredibly confused as the group at the door made their way to the bar, and his hand was still lurking near his clay-filled pouch. But then Ino stopped in front of them and gave him a winning—if not convincingly sincere—smile, and said, "You must be Deidara!"

When Deidara just stared at her, Sakura sighed and said, "Deidara, this is Ino, one of my best friends. That's her boyfriend, Sai. You already know Naruto." There was a long moment where Sakura and Ino glared at each other, and then Sakura continued, "They decided tonight was a good night to _rudely invite themselves to hang out with us."_

"Oh," was all Deidara said. It was the closest she'd seen him to speechless while he still had his pants on. His hand fell away from his pouch.

"Hey Deidara!" Naruto piped up from behind Ino. "I don't think we can all fit at the bar. Let's get a table!" And just like that, Sakura's horde of personal demons wandered away, leaving her alone with Deidara.

"Listen," Sakura began, not waiting for him to say anything, "I didn't mean for this to happen. But Ino found out who I've been seeing, and then she demanded that she meet you, and _of course_ she brought Sai, and then Naruto heard about it and invited himself, and—why the hell are you smiling?"

Deidara was watching her with a highly amused gleam in his eyes and a devilish smile. "You totally want me to meet your friends."

"I do not!" she sputtered. Then, realizing how insulting that sounded, she immediately added, "I mean, I don't _not_ want you to meet them." Deidara started laughing. "Stop laughing at me! This isn't funny!"

"Oh, this is really fucking funny, yeah," Deidara said, still laughing as he shook his head.

As she heard Naruto crow about finding a good table off to her left, Sakura just pouted at Deidara, her shoulders slumping. "I'm sorry. Maybe you could leave out the back. I could distract them and—"

"Sakura-chaaan!" Naruto yelled across the bar, earning him several dirty looks from nearby patrons. "We found a table!"

Deidara lifted his eyebrows at her, smirking. "Yeah, _Sakura-chan._ A table."

Sakura clapped her hands over her face, her voice muffled. "I can't believe this is happening."

She felt Deidara's hand pat her on the shoulder as he leaned in and murmured, "Breathe. If it all goes wrong, I'll just blow the whole place up."

Sakura jerked her head up, her eyes wide as she watched Deidara amble toward the table. She really hoped he was joking. She would never want him to blow up her friends.

"Hurry up, Forehead!" Ino called. "I have questions for your _man_!"

She would _probably_ never want him to blow up her friends.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura followed in Deidara's wake. Naruto had managed to secure a large round table that would accommodate the five of them, and he, Ino, and Sai had already taken their seats. Deidara pulled out the chair offered to him and spun it around, sitting backward and draping his arms over the back. Sakura couldn't help but wonder if he did that because it would make it easier to escape. Firing another dark look at Ino, Sakura took the seat between Deidara and Sai, sitting primly and wishing that she was somewhere else—like upstairs, alone with Deidara.

For the next few minutes, there was a general flurry as Naruto waved over one of the people who worked in No Man's Land and they all made their orders. It didn't take long for the man to return to the table with their drinks. Naruto and Deidara both had beers, while Sai and Sakura stuck with sake. Meanwhile, Ino had smiled sparklingly at the man and asked him for something sweet—something with an umbrella, preferably—and to Sakura's surprise, the man had returned with a peach-colored drink that did, in fact, have a little paper umbrella stuck in the top.

Sakura avoided everyone's eyes as she swiftly poured a cup of her own sake and drained it, only to cringe when she heard Ino go, "Sooo, Deidara. How many villages have put a price on your head?"

"Pig!" Sakura hissed as soon as she'd swallowed.

Deidara responded like it was a normal question one would be asked over drinks. "Not really sure. I lost track a long time ago, yeah."

"Interesting," Ino said. She was smiling, but her eyes were piercing as she watched him. "How did you live through the war?"

"Same way you did, I imagine," Deidara said breezily, taking a sip of his beer. When Ino just look confused, he added, "I just didn't die."

Naruto snickered. Sai, face expressionless, said, "I've always found that the best way to stay alive."

"I looked you up in the Bingo Book, you know." Ino said innocently, stopping to take a ladylike sip of her drink before she leaned in, her keen eyes staring at Deidara's hands. "Let me see them."

"This is fucking ridiculous," Sakura muttered under her breath.

"Sakura-chan, when did you start using that kind of language?" Naruto asked, a grin on his face.

"Mimicking each other's language is a common symptom of spending time with each other," Sai observed.

"I just want to see his hands," Ino said with a pout.

"You're being rude," Sakura insisted.

"His hands are pretty cool," Naruto added unhelpfully.

Sai had just opened his mouth to say something no doubt scintillating when Deidara stopped the debate by holding out his hands, palms up. Both sets of teeth in his palms snapped, throwing the table into silence, and then turned into identical grins, tongues lolling out.

Blinking, Sai immediately took out his sketchbook. Naruto watched with some interest although he'd seen Deidara's hands before. Ino's eyes got wide, however, and she leaned over the table, reaching out a curious hand.

Sakura slapped it. "Hands to yourself, Pig!"

Ino snatched her hand back, her wounded look not enough to hide her laughter. "Feeling possessive, Forehead? I probably would too," she said suggestively.

Deidara smirked, and Naruto snickered. Sai asked, "Why?"

Ino began to whisper in Sai's ear, and his face first turned pink, and then contemplative, as he listened. "Oh, that would be extremely useful," he finally said.

"Fuck," Sakura groaned, wishing a hole would open in the ground and swallow her up.

Wonder of wonders, Ino must have taken pity on Sakura, because she turned to Naruto and changed the subject by asking, "What's the deal with this place, anyway?"

And then something strange happened—everyone just acted like normal. Naruto explained No Man's Land for the benefit of Ino and Sai, and they just chattered away like this was a regular night out for them. Deidara even offered his own input, explaining that No Man's Land wasn't the only establishment of its kind in the ninja world, and how there were several such neutral locations on the borders of various countries.

It was weird, and Sakura didn't trust it. She didn't even realize how tense she was until she felt one of Deidara's hands on her lower back. While the others talked, he quietly said, "Relax, yeah."

Sakura looked at him with surprise. If she was uncomfortable, he _had_ to be uncomfortable—right? But Deidara looked as comfortable at that table as he'd looked anywhere else, maybe even a little bored as he drank his beer. She whispered, "Doesn't any of this bother you?"

"Worried I'm going to blow the place up?" he asked, smiling behind his glass.

"Worried you won't," she muttered, and he laughed. In spite of herself, Sakura smiled a little. Still, she didn't relax completely—she knew Ino way too well to think that she was done with her questions.

Setting his beer down, Deidara casually poured her another cup of sake. "You know when you want to blow things up more than I do that you have a problem, right?"

"Aww, aren't you nice, pouring her sake," Ino cooed from across the table. "Make sure it's a big one, Deidara. She's too uptight. Someone needs to teach her the right way to drink."

"I could drink you under the table, Pig," Sakura shot back.

"Prove it, Forehead," Ino challenged.

"Drinking competition!" Naruto enthused.

"I'll even let you play with your little girly drinks," Sakura said with a sneer. It had been a while since she and Ino had really gotten drunk together, and the idea had appeal—especially the part where she knew she would win. Ino always thought she could outdrink Sakura, and she was nearly always wrong.

Ino was grinning now. "One rule: you're not allowed to do any of that fancy super-medic stuff where you keep yourself from getting drunk. You know I can't do that."

Deidara raised his eyebrows, looking at Sakura. "You can do that?"

"This is gonna be great," Naruto said. "Can I play?"

"No," Ino and Sakura chorused.

"Awwww c'mon," Naruto whined, and just liked that everyone was bickering again. Well, Ino, Sakura, and Naruto were bickering, while Deidara watched amusedly and Sai worked in his sketchbook.

"Wait, so how many of your cups of sake are going to match her one frilly drink?" Deidara suddenly asked, brow furrowed.

"That's an excellent point," Sakura said, and she and Ino started to negotiate terms.

Leaning around Sakura's back with his pencil in his hand, Sai asked Deidara, "Can you put your hand on the table again?"

"You're kind of weird, aren't you?" Deidara said with a remarkable lack of judgement in his voice.

"Is that a no?" Sai inquired, blinking.

Deidara shook his head with a short laugh and laid one hand palm-up on the table again, grabbing his beer with the other. Glancing at Sakura, he said, "Well, you all do what you need to do. _I'm_ definitely getting drunk, yeah."

Just like that, they all settled in for a night of drinking. Although Sai seemed to have completely forgotten his drink existed, Sakura and Ino leaned into their competition, while Deidara and Naruto seemed to have formed one of their own, albeit a bit more slow-paced.

As the second, and then third round were brought to the table, they all enjoyed themselves. At one point Sai spoke up, saying, "Naruto hasn't told everyone his news yet."

Naruto, a bit flushed after his third mug of beer, smiled brightly as everyone turned to face him. "At the last session of the Village Council, Kakashi-sensei officially recognized me as the next Hokage. The Council accepted."

They all offered their congratulations. Even Deidara clinked his glass with Naruto and said, "Try not to let it turn you into an asshole." Naruto just laughed.

"How can you date Gaara if you're both running villages?" Ino piped up.

Sakura scowled. "Can't just let them be happy, can you Pig?"

"It was just a question!" Ino returned. "Shut up and drink!"

"You shut up and drink!" Sakura threw back, knowing she sounded childish.

Deidara was clearly amused when he asked, "You two must have been friends for a really long time."

Sakura and Ino both snapped their heads toward him and said, "Shut up!"

Unbothered, Deidara just snickered. As if the little skirmish hadn't happened, Naruto said, "Gaara and I will figure things out. Our relationship is only going to strengthen the one between Suna and Konoha. It's good for everybody."

"I've offered to fly Naruto on one of my birds anytime he'd like to visit," Sai said.

Deidara perked up at that. "What kind of bird?"

As Deidara and Sai began talking behind her back about the upsides and downsides of having flying constructs, Sakura finished the last bit of her sake bottle. At the same time, Ino slurped down the rest of her current drink and set it firmly on the table. "We need another round."

Turning and scanning the room, Sakura didn't see a single worker in sight. As the night had progressed the room had filled up, and now it seemed that there wasn't a single open seat in the place. Looking toward the bar itself, Sakura saw that all of the employees seemed to be stuck there, making drinks for the plethora of shinobi crowded in the area.

"I'll go get it," Sakura volunteered, standing. As she started to take a step, she paused, suddenly realizing that maybe it wasn't a great idea for her to leave Deidara alone with her friends. But when she looked at him, he seemed totally engrossed in his conversation with Sai. Ino was elbowing Naruto and telling him he needed to finish his beer faster. Things still seemed... normal. Shrugging off her hesitation, she headed for the bar.

As Sakura approached the bar, she couldn't help but notice that her vision was slightly swimmy and knew that the alcohol was beginning to affect her. She knew her tolerance well enough to know that she wasn't going to end up passed out in the bathroom, but she was definitely well on her way to getting drunk. At the bar, she found that she was unable to get a bartender's attention, especially when she ended up stuck behind two shinobi who were much larger than her.

She felt a hand land lightly on the small of her back. Before she could turn, Deidara leaned his face over her shoulder, the ends of his hair brushing her arm. "Did you drink enough to relax yet?"

"Not nearly enough," Sakura said, turning to face him. She could see a little bit of color high in his cheeks and knew that the alcohol was beginning to affect him, too.

"Hey, no one's tried to arrest or kill me yet, I call that a win," Deidara said carelessly. When he was done speaking, he cleared his throat loudly, making the two large shinobi in front of him turn around to look. When he just stared at them both, they immediately moved out of the way without a word. Sakura gave Deidara a surprised look, and he laughed. "What? Having a reputation has perks, yeah."

As they waited at the bar for one of the bartenders to come back in their direction, Sakura asked, "You still have a reputation? But you haven't even done anything bad after the war, have you?" She frowned a little, unsure if she really wanted an answer.

He gave her a lazy smile, holding up his hands. "Hey, I told you, I'm retired. Anything I've blown up was purely an explosion of self-defense." Pausing, he tilted his head thoughtfully. "Or because it was cool. But mostly the first one," he added. The mouths on his palms pursed their lips like they were blowing kisses.

"Liar," Sakura said, trying not to smile.

"I haven't blown up anyone who wasn't trying to kill me, yeah," Deidara promised as he lowered his hands.

"Be that as it may, I wouldn't go getting too relaxed tonight. Ino might still try to arrest you."

"I look too much like her for her to arrest me," he replied, grinning. "Unless she wants to arrest me for the crime of being the better looking one."

Sakura laughed. "Don't let her hear you say that."

"I don't need to. She already knows it in her heart to be true," Deidara said, flipping his hair over his shoulder. He grinned again when Sakura swatted at his arm.

Even if she pretended to find him obnoxious, inwardly the warmth of affection swelled in Sakura's chest. The second Ino had invited herself out that evening, Sakura had assumed it meant the end of her good weekend—and possibly her sex life for the foreseeable future if Deidara got scared away. She hadn't expected him to be so... well... "You're kind of charming when you want to be, aren't you?" she blurted out.

"Who knew? I'm not just extraordinarily talented in bed," he said, his grin turning more than a bit arrogant.

"I should have guessed that you get even more cocky when you're drunk, though." Before Deidara could give her a response, one of the bartenders came over. Sakura ordered drinks for the table.

While they waited for the drinks to be made, Deidara turned and leaned back, propping his elbows on the bar. "Are your friends staying the whole weekend?"

"No," Sakura answered. "Sai's going to take Ino and Naruto back tonight."

"And how long are you staying?" Deidara asked, one blonde eyebrow lifting.

"I thought I would stay tonight and tomorrow night, and leave the morning after that," Sakura answered, suddenly feeling shy.

"Good," Deidara murmured as he reached out and pinched the bottom hem of her top between his fingers, tugging her closer. Nudging her nose with his, he kissed her when she tipped her head back.

Stomach fluttering, Sakura gave him a beamy smile, and without thinking said, "You like me." She flushed a little after she said it—she was drunker than she thought.

Deidara let go of her top, smirking a little as he turned to where the bartender had just placed their next round. "Don't let it go to your head, yeah," he said over his shoulder.

The smile lingered on her face as Sakura grabbed both her and Sai's bottles of sake. Deidara grabbed the handles of his and Naruto's beers in one hand, grabbing Ino's drink with the other. When they turned to walk back to the table, Sakura saw Ino watching them narrowed eyes, and even that wasn't enough to wipe the smile from Sakura's face.

As the night went on, Ino would occasionally attempt to verbally pin down Deidara with more pointed questions, and Deidara would answer them with little effort. As Ino got more drunk, her questions became less appropriate, and as Deidara got more drunk, his answers became snarkier. It would've made Sakura nervous, but at this point she'd had enough alcohol to feel warm and relaxed, and she was beginning to be more than a little entertained by the exchange.

"So, you're a missing nin," Ino was saying. Turning to Sakura, she asked, "Do you have to tie him up at night to keep him from stealing your things while you sleep?"

"We haven't tried that yet," Deidara said thoughtfully. Looking at Sakura, he leaned a little closer, but his words were still loud enough for the rest of the table to hear as he asked, "Want to tie me up, yeah?"

Sakura could feel the blood rush into her face, and even worse, she could feel her jaw slackening as very interesting images of a naked Deidara tied up on the bed immediately filled her mind, no matter how much she tried to stop them.

Naruto stabbed a finger in her direction, tipsily shouting, "Look at her blush! She totally wants to!"

"Please shut up," Sakura groaned, putting her elbows on the table and burying her face in her hands. Deidara, Ino, and Naruto laughed.

Looking thoughtful, Sai said, "We've experimented with bondage several times."

"Sai!" Ino hissed with horror, her own face turning red.

"Ha!" Sakura said, raising her head and laughing as she pointed at Ino. "Who's blushing now?"

Ino scowled at her, and then smiled sweetly and said, "So, Deidara, where do you think this little relationship of yours is going?"

Sakura's stomach dropped, and she resisted the urge to climb across the table and smack the shit out of Ino. Instead, she finished the cup of sake in front of her, trying not to cringe. How could Ino ask something like that? Sakura and Deidara were just... having fun. And Ino was going to ruin it.

Deidara didn't miss a beat, however, lightly responding, "I was thinking about convincing her to start another Akatsuki with me."

"Ooh, how salacious!" Ino exclaimed. "So, what, you expect her to go missing-nin and follow you around like the perfect little toady?"

"Nah, I would probably follow her. She's pretty bossy," Deidara countered.

Ino, in the middle of sucking down the last of her peach-colored drink, snorted and almost spit it out. Swallowing, she laughed. "Oh, he's got your number, Forehead."

"Shut up, Pig," Sakura said for probably the millionth time that night, but inside she was relieved. Deidara had seemed to take the whole thing as a joke, and not an ill-conceived attempt to make him commit to her.

"Come on," Ino said as she dragged her obviously tipsy self out of her seat, coming around to Sakura's seat and pulling her up as well. "We're going to get another round."

Sakura let herself be pulled toward the bar, tipsy enough herself to just giggle a bit and not bother fighting back. When they got there, Ino had very little trouble charming her way into a spot at the busy bar and ordered another round from the harried-looking bartender who came over.

While they waited, Ino turned to Sakura, her face suddenly serious. "About Deidara..."

Sakura sighed. "I don't want to hear it, Pig."

As if Sakura hadn't spoken, Ino continued, "I think it's really stupid of you to have gotten involved with a missing-nin." Sakura opened her mouth, and Ino raised her voice and continued quickly before Sakura could speak. "He's a complete idiot, and I really like him."

Blinking in surprise, Sakura stood there for a beat with her mouth hanging open, before finally asking, "What?"

Ino's expression softened. "I saw the way you were with him at the bar. He makes you laugh. I haven't seen you laugh like that since before you and Sasuke-kun broke up."

"I..." Sakura began, faltering when she couldn't find words, her face heating up. But she knew Ino was right—hadn't she, herself, noticed before how much fun she had when she was around Deidara?

"Anyway, as long as you're not going to run off and start murdering people with him, I think this is a good thing for you," Ino said, flipping her long ponytail over her shoulder.

It was so similar to what Deidara had done at the bar earlier that Sakura started to giggle again. "You only like him because he looks like you."

Ino made a look of shocked insult. "I am way prettier than him," she protested.

Sakura was still giggling as the bartender came over with their next round, minus a drink for Sai, of course, who was still nursing his first bottle of sake. Grabbing their drinks, Ino and Sakura made their way back to the table.

Over the next period of drinking and talking, Sakura noticed—through eyes that were definitely getting a little blurry—that Ino looked as drunk as she felt, and Naruto and Deidara were looking pretty sauced themselves. Although Sai had finally finished drawing and rejoined the conversation, lightly sipping at his sake, he still looked the picture of sobriety compared to the others at the table.

Sakura was just trying to answer a question about how she'd managed to get this time off work when Naruto started snickering and said, "Sakura-chan, your words are all slurry."

Ino nodded with a feline smile. "Super slurry," she agreed, but it came out a bit more like "shooper shlurry."

Sakura laughed. "You sound worse than me," she did her best to carefully enunciate.

Sakura felt Deidara's hand rest right above her knee beneath the table, squeezing lightly. "Maybe the two of you should call a draw on your contest. I don't really want to have to carry you upstairs," he said with a grin. "Besides, Naruto and I have already decided to quit like gentlemen."

"Gentlemen, my ass," Ino muttered.

Sakura drank the last of the sake that was in her cup before saying, "I am pretty drunk. I'm good with stopping here." She set her empty cup on the table.

Ino took one last obnoxiously loud sip from her drink and said, "There. I drank last. That means I win."

"That's bullshit!" Sakura blurted.

Naruto was snickering again as he looked at Deidara. "Are you the reason she's cursing so much now?"

"Maybe," Deidara said with a sly smile. He drew his hand off of Sakura's knee and then placed his palms on the table, standing up. "I'm going to go take care of the tab."

"Well, damn, maybe he is a gentleman," Ino said with surprise as he left. "I didn't expect him to pay the tab."

Sakura whispered in a voice that came out much louder than she meant to, "He said he's retired. I don't think he worries about money that much."

"Forehead, you buried the lede! That's the kind of stuff you have to tell me first," Ino said, her eyes sparkling as she leaned forward.

"Ino finds that a man's ability to take care of a woman financially is very important," Sai said calmly.

"Don't say anything to him about it," Sakura warned as Deidara walked back toward the table. She assumed he'd been able to pay quickly because he'd skipped to the front of the line again.

Deidara reached the table and smirked a little as he said, "Well, this has certainly been an experience." The rest of them all stood up from their chairs, some of them more sloppily than others.

"Hey," Ino began, carefully walking over to Deidara and shoving him. "Don't hurt my friend. And don't take advantage of her tonight. She's too drunk."

Deidara placed an offended—and mocking—hand to his chest and said, "I can't believe you would accuse me of such a thing."

"You're drunk too," Sai said to Ino as he joined her. He nodded at Deidara. "It was interesting to meet you."

Naruto walked around the table and clapped Deidara on the shoulder. "Thanks for the drinks."

The rest of them chorused their thank yous as well. Sakura thought she was the only one who detected a hint of embarrassment in Deidara's voice as he said, "Don't mention it, yeah."

Ino, Naruto, and Sai all said goodbye and made for the door to the outside, where Sai would no doubt conjure an ink bird to take them home. Deidara looked toward Sakura, his smirk back as he took her in. "I've never seen you drunk before. It's pretty cute."

"I am not," Sakura insisted as she sloppily took his arm, tugging him toward the stairs that led to the second floor. "I'm ready for bed, though."

As they walked up the stairs and down the hallway to the same room they'd used last time they'd been at No Man's Land, Sakura shifted her hand from his arm to around his waist—and then down to his ass, which she gave a solid squeeze. Deidara snickered as he unlocked the door to their room. "Unless you're gonna pull some of that magic medic shit to sober yourself up, you'd better keep your hands to yourself."

Sakura pouted as they walked through the door. "I can't do it when I'm this drunk already." Pausing, she badly lied, "Also, I'm not really that drunk." The fact that she stumbled a little as she said it made the lie somewhat hard to sell.

Deidara snorted as lightly pushed her toward the bed. "Yeah, right."

Sakura let herself faceplant on the bed, turning over when she felt Deidara begin to tug at one of her shoes. As she watched him pull off first one boot, then the other, she observed that he was having more trouble with it than she would expect. "You're drunk, too."

"Yeah, but if you take advantage of me, you're not gonna have a bunch of Leaf nin breathing down your neck," he countered, smirking at her. "I'll make it up to you tomorrow."

"Are you gonna let me tie you up?" Sakura asked, too far gone to be embarrassed at her request.

Finished with her boots, Deidara straightened, reaching over to grab the front of her top and pull her into a sitting position. "Maybe," he said with a grin when his face was close to hers. "You'd better take off whatever you don't want to wear to bed."

Deidara released her and set about pulling off his mesh armor and the short sleeveless shirt he wore over it. As he kicked off his sandals and his abdomen flexed with the movement, Sakura just watched him for a moment with a dreamy smile before finally undressing herself. Since Ino had ruined her plans she hadn't worn anything special, just her usual red zippered top and apron over black shorts, so she stripped down to the shorts and her bindings, figuring they were both comfortable enough to sleep in.

They both climbed into bed, Sakura more unsteadily than Deidara, and she clambered under the blanket and sheets. When Deidara joined her, lying on his back with his arms folded beneath his head, Sakura drunkenly snuggled up to him with a sigh, already feeling sleepy. She mumbled into his chest, "I'm sorry about my friends showing up. Thanks for being nice to them."

Unfolding one of his arms, Deidara reached down and grabbed her by the chin, making her meet his gaze. "You know why I did that, right?"

His eyes were a blue that was more piercing than usual, and she paused for a moment before replying, "Yes," knowing he had done it for her. She just didn't know why—but for the moment, that didn't bother her.

"Good." A smile crossed his face, wiping away the momentary seriousness, and he pushed her head lightly back to his chest, resting his hand on the arm she'd put around him. "Go to sleep, yeah."

Feeling warmer than the alcohol could account for, Sakura nestled herself beneath his chin, pressing herself against him. "Good night, Deidara."

"Good night, Sakura."


	8. The way you fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi folks. I debated whether or not to post anything today. I am writing from the United States, and it feels tone deaf to post silly fluff while my country is on fire. But even before these protests began, a lot of people were struggling with the quarantine, and sometimes people just need an escape. So, if you're struggling right now, and reading this story is something that you look forward to, you're the reason I went ahead and posted this chapter.
> 
> But let me make myself clear about one thing. I believe that Black Lives Matter, and I believe that my country has a root-deep problem with racism and police brutality. If you disagree with that statement, then I would like to invite you to take your bootlicking ass elsewhere and read somebody else's story. 
> 
> Everybody else, please stay safe.

Sakura woke to the feeling of her shirt hitting her face. Sputtering a bit, and then cringing at the realization that she had one hell of a headache, she clawed the shirt off her face. Looking up, she squinted at Deidara, who stood near the foot of the bed.

"What time is it?" she asked.

"Late." He threw her shorts at her next, looking amused. "Get dressed. We're going to spar."

Holding a glowing hand to her temple, she began to heal the ache in her head as she threw him a scowl. "How are you up before me?"

Deidara smirked as he began to pull on his sandals. "Probably because I'm not hungover."

"Jerk," Sakura muttered, jealous. As the throbbing in her head subsided, she finally slid out of the bed, beginning to shrug on her clothing.

Now fully dressed, Deidara reached out to pat her cheek, teasing, "You're such a peach in the morning." The mouth on his palm made a kissy noise.

Sakura just narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm going to kick your ass."

"Atta girl," he said, grinning. "Come on. We can get something to eat downstairs."

Stomach growling at the mention of food, Sakura moved faster, finishing getting dressed and ducking into the bathroom to brush her teeth. When she came out, Deidara snagged her by the waist and pulled her in for a kiss that was just long enough to make her begin to melt against him before he pulled back again. Grinning at her again, he tugged her out the door.

They made their way downstairs and wasted little time eating a simple breakfast courtesy of the inn's kitchen. After they finished, Sakura followed Deidara outside.

In spite of the morning's rough start, she found herself in a good mood. Being around Deidara just had a way of putting her in high spirits. After all, he'd handled her friends the night before with more charm than she'd expected. That little bit at the end of the night where he'd implied he'd done it for her—that was something she was still unsure of, but this morning he was back to his usual semi-crude and surprisingly affectionate self. It made it easy for Sakura to fall back into their usual banter.

Also, she was really looking forward to kicking his ass.

They walked into the nearby trees, and when Deidara broke into a loping run, she followed. Eventually they reached a clearing that was of a decent size for a spar. Sakura stopped just inside the tree line, and Deidara turned to face her from the other side of the clearing. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a hair tie and tied the top half of his hair into a high ponytail.

Sakura folded her arms, holding back a smirk. "Cute ponytail."

"Thanks," he breezed, clearly ignoring the teasing quality to her voice. "I have to tie it up when I fight, what with it flowing elegantly in the wind and all."

She snorted, deciding not to dignify that with an answer, and began to warm up. "Incidentally, what brought up this sudden need to spar?" Sakura asked, tipping her head curiously as she looked at him.

"I've heard how good of a medic you are already. I want to see you fight, yeah," he said. Pulling one arm over his head in a stretch, he added, "Besides, my taijutsu is getting rusty."

"That's what happens when you blow people up from a distance like a big coward," Sakura said, grinning a little.

Deidara raised his eyebrows and returned her grin. "Those are fighting words, hellcat."

"Good." Reaching into her hip pouch, she pulled out her gloves, and Deidara watched with interest as she put them on. "I do think we need a rule that we're keeping this relatively close range, though. No flying up on your bird thing and bombing me from the sky."

"That's fine," Deidara said, although he looked slightly offended when she said 'bird thing'. He switched arms, and Sakura let her eyes wander to the way his abdomen flexed as he stretched. "What about stakes?"

Blinking, she met his eyes again. "What do you mean?"

"What do I get if I win?" he asked slyly.

Sakura thought about it for a moment and then offered, "I give really good massages." It was true. With her ability to literally relax muscles with a touch, she happened to know that her massages were nothing short of legendary.

"Deal," he replied.

"What do I get _when_ I win?" Sakura asked sweetly, with pointed emphasis.

He laughed, but there was a devilish gleam in his eyes now that hadn't been there a moment ago. "You still want to tie me up?"

Heat rushed into her face—she'd forgotten about that little part of last night. She was embarrassed to say so in the cold light of day, but the idea of being able to tie him down and do what she wanted without all his _mouths_ distracting her sounded pretty appealing.

Deidara just smirked. "I'll take that as a yes." As he finished his stretches, Deidara dropped into a relaxed stance. "Ready?"

"Hold on," Sakura said. "Are you going to be using your Explosion Release?"

"Maybe a little," Deidara replied, holding his index finger and thumb about an inch from each other. "Can't expect me to give up all my tricks, yeah."

Reaching up, Sakura pulled her hitae-ate from her hair and unfolded it. When it was spread into a larger triangle, she used it to cover her hair, the metal protector over her forehead as she tied it in the back. When Deidara gave her a raised brow, she said, "What? Like I'm going to let you singe all my hair off."

"Smart," he mused. "I like your hair." The unexpected compliment made her smile.

"One last thing," Sakura said as she crouched slightly, letting her weight roll onto the balls of her feet. "You know that thing where a girl throws a punch and the guy catches it in his hand to show what a badass he is?"

Deidara frowned slightly, looking confused. "I guess so?"

"Don't do that unless you want a broken hand," she warned.

And then, before he could reply, she drew her fist back and darted toward him.

Sakura's fist sailed cleanly through the air as Deidara easily evaded her, a wicked smirk crossing his lips. "Gonna have to do better than that," he taunted as he darted effortlessly backward.

"I plan to," Sakura said with a determined smile as she followed him.

The fight was on. As she moved, Sakura's mind raced, drawing up everything that she knew about Deidara and his fighting style. The Bingo Books always included estimated statistics on each entry, and Sakura knew that Deidara had been given a speed rating that was much higher than hers. However, their taijutsu knowledge had been listed as being on par with each other, and he said he was rusty. Plus, she was obviously much stronger than him. Sakura knew she had a chance against him, whether he was former Akatsuki or not.

All it would take is one good hit.

Before she could think about it for much longer, Deidara went on the offensive, drawing her attention back to the present. He was as fast as she'd expected—maybe faster. She could only defend herself, barely managing to catch his blows on her arms and legs rather than the more vulnerable points he aimed them at. Any time she managed to get in a swing herself, he avoided it like she was standing still. The pure enjoyment written on his face just rankled her—he hadn't even broken a sweat yet.

After she swung and missed again, he countered with a powerful kick that she only just managed to block with her forearm, and the impact sent a shock of dull pain down her arm. He came to a brief stop a few feet away, and there was an impressed tone to his voice as he said, "You're tougher than you look, yeah."

"You'd better hope you are too," Sakura shot back. He launched himself back toward her, his hands disappearing into the pouches that hung from his hips.

Sakura was getting sick of his fancy footwork. When he sprinted at her, she brought her foot down on the ground with a solid chakra-filled stomp, breaking the ground and his pace in one swift move. She darted forward to take advantage of his temporary instability, but before she could get close enough to hit him, he tossed out both hands, filling the air between them with a host of small white objects.

Sakura barely had time to see that the objects appeared to be tiny little clay spiders before she flipped back to avoid the cluster of explosions they produced. He threw another group of spiders at her as she landed, following her across the clearing as she evaded each explosion.

Although Deidara followed no pattern that she could figure out, they fell into a kind of stalemate. He would attack with taijutsu and detonations, and she would withstand each blow and dodge the explosions. When she attempted to attack him, he evaded her with a speed that was infuriating.

It was hard to predict what he would do next. She'd think he was going to attack her, but he'd throw up just enough of an explosion to force her to jump back, before attacking from a different direction. She could tell he was holding back—they both were—but he was still showing her enough to let her know that she was fighting Deidara of Akatsuki. Rusty or not, it was clear how skilled he was.

But he didn't know how skilled _she_ was, and Sakura thought that was what kept him toying with her. That, and the fact that he was clearly enjoying it—his eyes shone with delight as he threw a larger clay spider at her that she jumped to avoid. As he muttered "Release!" and it exploded, Sakura landed at a safe distance away, pausing for a moment to consider her options.

"Careful, now," Deidara warned. "Wouldn't want to get burned." His voice still held that taunting quality, and his raised hands were grinning at her.

A smile slowly began creeping across her face. Something in what he said had given her an inkling of an idea, and she'd begun to think that she knew how to beat him. It might not be the fairest way to win, but what was the point of fighting a missing-nin if you couldn't break the rules?

Deidara caught the smile and called, "You look pretty confident for someone who's losing."

"Remember you said that," she retorted, running forward and spinning into a kick that he neatly avoided.

Deidara continued darting backward as she landed on her feet again. Before she could follow him, he scattered more explosives in the air, coming to a brief stop and clearly expecting the explosives to stop her pursuit.

Sakura didn't stop. Propelling herself forward, she threw one arm over her face just as the spiders erupted, feeling the lancing pain of her skin burning as she flew _through_ the minor explosions. She came out on the other side with her fist cocked, catching sight of Deidara's surprised expression right before her fist caught him in the gut.

The lingering sound of the explosion covered any sound Deidara made as she buried her fist in his abdomen, her arm laced with chakra. He instantly rocketed back, colliding with a tree at the edge of the clearing, the wood of its trunk cracking beneath the impact.

"Fuck me," Deidara grunted, looking a little stunned as he put a hand to his stomach and crumpled a bit, though he managed to stay standing by holding himself against the damaged tree.

"Do you yield?" Sakura asked sweetly, holding her stance.

"That was really hot," he said dizzily. Giving in, he dropped gracelessly onto his ass, apparently giving up all attempts at trash talk.

"Do you yield?" she asked again, although now she was holding back a grin.

"Fuck yes, I yield." Deidara prodded at his abdomen and winced. "I'm not taking another hit like that just for a spar, yeah."

Grinning fully, Sakura dropped out of her stance and walked toward him, holding a glowing hand to the burns on her arm. "I told you I was going to win."

"I wasn't expecting you to do something like jump through fire during a friendly spar," he pointed out with a slightly sullen tone, though there was a sparkle in his eyes that told her he didn't really mean it. He watched shrewdly as she finished healing the first arm and switched to the other. "Is it really that easy for you to heal yourself?"

"These are pretty superficial wounds," Sakura said dismissively. "It was worth it just to see the look on your face before I hit you," she continued, crouching in front of him, giving him a toothy smile.

"You know, that trick isn't going to work on me the next time," he said, watching her with fascination as she healed her various wounds and bruises on her legs.

"Then I'll do something different next time," she said imperiously, and he laughed. "Don't try to change the subject from the fact of _you losing._ "

"And I bet you were still holding back, yeah," he said, and Sakura couldn't help but feel pleased by the admiration in his voice.

"That definitely wasn't full strength," she admitted as she leaned forward onto her knees, lifting his hand off his abdomen and pushing up his mesh armor to take a look at him. It was clear that his stomach was going to be a mass of bruises.

Deidara's blonde forelock fell over his eye as he tipped his head down to watch her heal him. "No wonder you weren't afraid to come out here with me," he mused. "Little ass-kicker."

Sakura glanced up at him, holding back a smile. "Why would I be afraid to come out here with you?"

Deidara lifted one shoulder in a lazy shrug. "Nobody's allowed to fight in No Man's Land, so you were safe from me there. Coming out here was pretty stupid." A teasing smirk was pulling at one corner of his mouth. "Showing a lot of trust for a missing-nin you hardly know."

Sakura flushed a little—did she trust him? Avoiding the thought, she tipped her chin up in the air and said, "Maybe I'm just not very scared of you."

He pouted. "C'mon. You're a little scared of me."

"Nope," she replied, finally finishing with healing the various deep bruises that she'd inflicted upon him. Lifting her hand, she toyed with his ridiculous ponytail. "I bet you're scared of me, though."

"I'm fucking terrified of you, yeah," he replied, and there was an earnest quality to his voice that made her think he wasn't talking about fighting anymore. Before Sakura could form a response, he reached up and curled his hand around the back of her head. He pulled her closer, until her face was just a breath away from his, his eyes meeting hers. Whatever he saw there made him smile, and then he pressed his lips to hers.

Sakura let her eyes flutter shut, her mind swept clean as he kissed her, his lips warm and soft against hers. The hand around her neck slid up to her head, grabbing hold of her hitae-ate and pulling it off so his fingers could tangle in her hair. His other hand found her hip, and as she leaned forward, he guided her into his lap.

Once she was wrapped around him, he let himself go, opening her mouth with his lips so his tongue could stroke against hers. Sakura whimpered into the kiss as his fingers tightened in her hair, and she met him with equal passion as she pressed her hips into his. He didn't let her go until she was breathless and needy against him.

When he finally pulled back, she opened her eyes, giving him a dazed look. “What was that for?”

His eyes were hooded and filled with heat as he murmured, "When you came through the explosion, you looked like a fucking goddess, yeah."

The sheer want in his voice filled her with an answering heat, and she whispered, "Deidara..."

"Come on," he said before she could say anything else. Both of his hands tugged up on her hips, and she stood so that he could stand as well. Once they'd both found their feet, he turned and made to move in the direction of the inn.

Still feeling the kiss down to the tips of her toes, Sakura protested, "Where are we going?"

Deidara fired a look at her over his shoulder. "You won. I've gotta get the ropes ready." She briefly saw his teeth flash in a grin before he took off.

Sakura blinked, a renewed flush passing over her body, and she opened her mouth to try to form a reply, but he was already gone. There was a brief moment of hesitation, but then she quickly picked her hitae-ate off the ground and ran after him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The line about Deidara's hair flowing elegantly in the wind came from Nyxako, the best beta in the world.


	9. The way you dare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Deijinn for letting me pick her brain about tying people up. XD You're a gem.

"You're really enjoying this, aren't you?"

Sakura gave Deidara a sweet smile that she knew was more than a little smug. "Yes."

Deidara gave a little snort of amusement as Sakura sat back to look at her work. Deidara lay on the bed beneath her, both arms raised and tied to the posters of the bed in their room, with just enough slack left that he could still bend his elbows. It had taken a while to get him there, especially when he'd insisted on kissing her and removing her clothing at the same time that he removed his. Even while instructing her in how to tie him properly he'd had had his hands on her, right up to the point where she tied them out of reach.

And now he just lay there smirking at her, like he was perfectly comfortable with being immobilized. In fact, ever since Sakura had won their little wager, he'd been awfully content with the idea of losing to her and letting her tie him up. 

Sakura's smile only grew in its smugness as she looked down at him, her hands braced on his chest as she straddled his waist. While he wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing, she had managed to retain her panties. Deidara didn't seem to mind, though, as his bright blue eyes were currently trailing over her body with the sort of lazy approval she'd come to expect from him.

Reaching out to finger one of the cotton ropes Deidara had produced as if from nowhere, Sakura asked, "Where did you get these, anyway? Do you just travel with them?" She said it like a joke, but she had to admit, she got a little jealous at the idea that these might've been items that Deidara had regularly used with other people.

"Nope," Deidara responded, his eyes following her hand as she moved it from his wrist, slowly stroking down the length of his arm. "Picked them up this morning." One corner of his mouth twitched upward as he shifted his gaze back to her face. "We're in an inn full of four-poster beds and missing-nin with loose morals. They keep certain things around, yeah."

He'd picked them up this morning? Sakura's hand paused as she got suspicious. "You planned to lose our spar, didn't you?"

With a laugh, Deidara replied, "I mean, I planned to, but then you kicked my ass anyway."

Her eyes narrowed. "I don't believe you."

"I won't lie," he said easily. "When Ino mentioned tying me up last night and you turned red and then looked at me like you were gonna eat me alive, I made up my mind that I was gonna make it happen." As if on cue, Sakura could feel her cheeks heating up, and he just gave her that lazy smile again.

  
Trying to regain her composure, Sakura asked, "Is this something you do a lot?" Without any real conscious thought, her hands began slowly smoothing over his chest, mapping out every ridge and plane.

"Never for fun," he answered with a grin. "But I wanna see what made you look at me like that, yeah. You looked like you had _plans_." His grin was growing more devilish by the moment.

A small, answering smile curled her lips. It could've been his admittance that he'd never done this before either, or it could've been the fact that he was very much at her mercy right now, but any embarrassment she'd been holding onto was starting to fade. "Every time we—" Sakura faltered. Then again, maybe that embarrassment wasn't completely gone.

"Fuck?" Deidara supplied, eyes crinkling with amusement.

"— _have sex_ , you always distract me with those." She nodded toward his hands, whose mouths were also grinning at her.

"I distract you with a lot of things," Deidara said with a self-satisfied look. "And you like it, yeah."

Ignoring the taunt, Sakura traced a finger down Deidara's side, her eyes following the same path before she looked back up to his face. "Well, you can't distract me now." Leaning forward, bringing her face close to his, she purred, "And I'm going to tease you as much as you tease me."

Deidara just licked his lips and murmured, "Do your worst, hellcat."

Lowering her head further and nuzzling into his neck, she suddenly paused as something occurred to her. Pulling back far enough to look at him, she asked, "You'll tell me if you're uncomfortable, right?"

"I'm fine," he replied dismissively.

Her brow furrowed. "But if your hands start getting tingly, or you just don't like what I'm doing..."

His expression softened a bit. "I promise I'll tell you, yeah."

Something in the way he was looking at her threatened to make her embarrassed again, so she leaned in to brush her lips against his. "Good."

She finally really kissed him, slow and deep. He hummed and leaned into it, but the hungrier his mouth got, the more she pulled back, until he was straining against the ropes. She paused just out of his reach, opening her eyes to meet his, and he gave her a little smirk and asked, "So, it's gonna be like that?"

She answered him by smiling slyly, lifting herself up, bracing herself over him as she nuzzled beneath his jaw. Making her way to the curve of his neck, she kissed it, tongue slowly stroking as she sucked his skin into her mouth. She could hear a little tremor go through his breath and smiled against his skin, his smell filling her nose—soap from his earlier shower, salt from their spar, and some indefinable, masculine scent that was his alone.

Sakura lowered herself until her body slid against his, feeling him pressed hard against the front of her panties. Curling her legs on either side of his hips, she lightly rubbed her body against his. His arms tensed against the ropes as if he was fighting the urge to touch her, making the bed creak, and Sakura let her teeth graze his neck in response.

Kissing her way back up to his face, she let her mouth linger close to his for a moment before moving down the other side, hearing the little half-irritated, half-amused puff that came out of his nose when she didn't kiss him. "Tease," he murmured.

"Mm-hmm," she agreed, kissing down to his shoulder. Biting into the ridge of muscle there, she rolled herself against him again, reveling in the feel of his erection pressing into her through her panties.

Deidara made a sound low in his throat and pressed his hips up against her, seeking more friction than what she was giving him, but she just pulled her hips back, keeping him wanting more. Her fingers traced his flexing chest and abdomen, pressing down and quelling his impatient movement even as her mouth began to move again, urging him on.

She kissed the place she'd just bitten, moving down to his chest, the shift bringing her out of contact with his cock as she straddled his legs instead. Before he could voice any complaint, she was laving one of his nipples with her tongue, nipping at it, making him suck a breath through his teeth at the sudden sensation. She found his other nipple with her fingertips, brushing over it with the pad of her thumb, smiling to herself. His nipples were more sensitive than she'd expected.

Seeing her smile, he let out a little huff of a laugh. Holding his eyes with her own, she slowly stroked his nipple with the tip of her tongue, and he let out a shaky breath as he watched. "You're evil, hellcat."

"You like me this way," she said confidently, pressing her lips to his sternum as she moved to the other nipple, nipping it in turn.

"I really fucking do," Deidara breathed, letting his head fall back.

That was what she liked to hear. As she sucked his nipple into her mouth, her fingers trailed lower and lower. As her teeth grazed his sensitive flesh, her fingers trailed over the length of his cock, and it jerked beneath her touch. She heard another one of those shuddering breaths, his hips shifting like he was resisting the urge to thrust into her hand.

With her fingers teasing him with light, barely-there touches, she kissed her way lower, over his ribs to his abdomen, feeling the way it tightened under her tasting tongue. As she went lower, she slid a knee between his legs, making him open them and make room for her. When she got to his hip bone, she traced it with her teeth and tongue, following it downward and lifting her eyes to him when she felt him raise his head. Her eyes met his right as she brought her lips to his cock, and his lips parted as she paused, letting her breath curl against its swollen head.

A teasing smile began to pull at her lips as she whispered, "I am way too nice to you," her thumb slowly stroking down his shaft.

"You're very, very nice," Deidara agreed, his own eyes glued to her mouth.

"Are you sure? Because I feel like you don't give me enough credit for being _really_ nice," Sakura continued. As she spoke, her lips just barely brushed against his fevered skin.

"I'll give you whatever the fuck you want, yeah," Deidara said, his voice lower than before, though not without humor.

Taking pity on him, Sakura parted her lips, her tongue slipping between them to sweep slowly over the head of his cock, tasting the bitter-salt taste of his excitement. Deidara watched her, teeth digging into his lower lip as she made her way down, following the path her fingers had taken with her tongue, getting him wet.

With the tips of her fingers and tongue she traced him, learning him in a way she hadn't the night she'd pulled him into the bar bathroom. When he was slick in her hand, she took him into her mouth slowly, her hand stroking down over what her lips didn't reach. Feeling like she needed to be touched, even knowing her own fingers wouldn't be enough, she slipped her free hand into her panties, finding herself wet just from the pleasure of teasing him—of watching him slowly come apart.

As she drew back up so that only the head of his cock was in her mouth, his eyes flickered lower, and his voice was almost pained as he rasped, "Fuck, Sakura—are you touching yourself?" He didn't wait for her answer, his eyes blazing a brilliant blue as he commanded, "Show me."

Letting his dick leave her mouth with a soft pop that made him grunt, she smiled and said, "You're awfully demanding for someone who's tied up right now." As her index finger swept a circle over her clit she breathily added, like an afterthought, "I'm really wet."

_"Fuck,"_ he groaned, his head dropping as his arms flexed ineffectually. "You're going to kill me."

Holding back a smile, she coyly asked, "Do you really want to see?" His head snapped back up at her tone, just in time to watch her rise up on her knees and pull her panties down over her hips. He watched her with slightly desperate eyes, his gaze tracing over her as she removed them completely and then crawled back over him.

She kissed him, dipping her head down to capture his lips with hers. He met her eagerly, his mouth greedy as it devoured hers. As she let her tongue stroke his, Sakura slid her hands over his chest, bracing a knee on either side of him. Melting into his kiss, she pressed her body against his, her slick folds sliding up against the length of his cock. Deidara made a sound of approval low in his throat.

Rolling her hips, Sakura let herself glide against him, moaning softly into his mouth—and again she heard the creak of the ropes as his arms flexed above her. Slowly, torturously, she teased both of them, her breath beginning to come faster as she felt the head of his cock rubbing against her clit. He dug his heels into the bed, grinding up into her, breaking away from her mouth to let out a ragged breath.

"I wanna fuck you," he growled, kissing her again, harder this time.

Pulling just out of his reach, Sakura gave him a teasing smile and purred, "I know."

"Tease," he bit out again, but one corner of his mouth was curling upward.

"You said that already." Leaning back, Sakura bit her lower lip as she braced herself on his chest, still rubbing against him. He watched her heatedly as she widened her legs, letting him watch her trail a hand down until it was between her legs, slowly rubbing her clit.  
  


Her whole body was flushed with anticipation as she watched the way he looked at her, the way all of his muscles were tense with his need to be inside her. Something about the way he was devouring her with his eyes, the way she could feel his thick length as it slid against her—it all combined to heighten the pleasure she was giving herself. When she lifted her hips just enough to allow the tip of his cock to penetrate her, she let out a little gasp at the sensation.

Deidara's eyes were glued between her legs as she slowly took him into her, inch by inch, as she kept making those little circles on her clit. When he tried to thrust up into her, she put her other hand on his hip, holding him down—making him wait.

"Shit," he whispered, his voice hoarse and slightly tortured as she rocked slowly on him, not giving him the friction she knew he wanted, feeling herself pulse around him as her pleasure swelled to a breaking point. They were both slick with sweat now, and he somehow felt harder, bigger inside her, than he ever had before.

"Deidara," she whimpered, close to the edge. His chest rose and fell quickly beneath her hand as she slid it up to his shoulder, gripping.

"You're fucking beautiful," he answered, his voice vibrating with tension. With her hand off his hip he was freer to move, and he tensed beneath her, pushing himself further into her. She gasped and fluttered around him, so close, and he gritted out, "I want to watch you make yourself come."

His words pushed her over the edge, and as her orgasm swept over her, Sakura let out a broken moan, thighs shaking as she rocked herself against him, her inner walls clenching around him. She heard Deidara suck in a hissing breath as she crumbled against him, wave after wave hitting her. Burying her head in his shoulder, she whimpered wordlessly, her mouth hot on his salty skin.

Trembling as she began to come down, Sakura swallowed and turned her head, panting into his neck, "Are you going crazy yet?"

Deidara's breath was hot in her ear, his voice strained as he rasped, "I need you to fucking untie me right now."

Sakura pushed herself up to look at him, and he gave her such a heated look of pure, desperate lust that she acted without thinking, sprouting a chakra scalpel from her fingers and slicing the two ropes in turn.

Deidara immediately surged forward, ignoring the frayed ends hanging from his wrists as he snaked an arm around her waist, bracing his other hand on the bed as he bodily flipped her over. Without a wasted breath he was in her again, filling her, pushing her legs up and out, his eyes clenched shut at the sensation.

Before he could begin to move again, she said, "Deidara!"

He froze completely, eyes snapping open, and she could feel his whole body tense against hers. Before he could reply, and before she lost the courage that her orgasm had given her, she licked her lips and breathed, "I want you to come on me."

Deidara exhaled, his body relaxing slightly, the lust returning to his features. Grinding against her, his voice was low as he asked, "Where do you want me to come?"

Knowing that her cheeks are pink, and not just from the orgasm she'd just had, she let her hands drop to her chest and then smoothed them down to her stomach, whispering, "Anywhere. Everywhere."

His only answer was to let out a low, heated groan and begin fucking her with powerful strokes that had her fists dropping to twist the soft material of the bedspread. Still drifting on the aftershocks of her last orgasm, Sakura felt herself propelled higher again, her breathing coming in shallow, whimpering pants. His hands, denied what they'd wanted for so long, were everywhere, licking and biting and sucking, his thrusts growing rougher with each sound that he drew from her.

"Is this what you wanted, hellcat?" he asked in a rough tone as his hips snapped into hers, one hand's mouth closing around her nipple.

" _Yes_ ," she moaned, moving her shaking legs so that they were over his shoulders, sending him deeper. She couldn't stop herself from getting louder, each cry punctuated by his thrusting hips.

He pushed her higher and higher, the feel of him hot and slick inside her driving her back to her breaking point. She trembled there on the precipice, whimpering, "I'm so close," as she throbbed around him, and he growled and began to fuck her even harder.

When he felt her start to come around him his own strokes grew rougher, a low sound ripping from his chest. She arched against him violently, screaming as he propelled her through her second orgasm, her hands flying up to claw at his biceps.

"Sakura—" Deidara groaned, and then he was pulling out of her, shoving a licking, sucking hand between her legs even as he took his cock in his other fist. Sakura cried out as another wave of ecstasy slammed through her, writhing on the bed as he came, painting her stomach and chest with his warmth.

With another low groan Deidara slumped forward, moving the hand beneath her legs to brace himself over her as he drew out the last spurt of his own orgasm. Sakura watched him through half-lidded eyes—the almost pained look on his handsome face, the way his chest rose and fell with his labored breathing. She was completely speechless; all she could do was try to catch her breath.

As she let her shaky legs drop down around him, Deidara moved next to her and fell to the mattress, one arm folded beneath him, panting, " _Fuck._ "

His blown away tone made her giggle. Without thinking she drew a lazy finger up through the mess he'd left on her stomach and chest, pulling her hand up to her lips and sucking it clean. Deidara's breath caught in his throat as he watched her. Shaking his head, blonde forelock falling messily over one eye, he finally spoke in a gravelly voice. "That's _art._ "

Giving him a sated smile, Sakura asked, "What is?"

"Everything you just did," he said after taking another moment to catch his breath, propping up his head with one hand. He trailed his fingers down her side. "Fucking art."

Feeling a little embarrassed, but a lot more pleased, Sakura teased him, "You're the one decorating me."

Deidara smiled at that, his eyes drifting over her body. "You look good with my cum on you, yeah." Biting her lip, Sakura wormed beneath his gaze, and his smile widened. "Keep moving like that and I'm going to fuck you again. And I'm definitely not ready for that yet."

"I could probably make you ready," Sakura joked. When he gave her a questioning look, she added, "I'm a _really_ good medic."

His eyebrows shot up. "Wait—you can make me hard again?"

"Probably," she answered thoughtfully. "I've never tried it before. It could be bad for your heart, though."

There was a pause, and then a little feline curl to his lips as he asked, "Since when are you concerned about my heart?"

The way he said it made it sound like he was talking about a lot more than his health. Sakura's own heart skipped a beat, and her panic must have been apparent on her face because Deidara made a 'pffft' noise and then burst into laughter. She scowled at him. "Stop teasing me."

"You deserve it after what you just put me through." He gave her a roguish grin.

Feeling back on solid ground now that he'd moved on from talking about his heart, Sakura reached out a hand and fingered the loose end of the rope that was tied around his wrist. "Ever going to take these off? You should let me heal your wrists—they look a little raw."

Rolling onto his back, Deidara began to remove the ropes. "They're fine. Nice little reminders of you, yeah."

Although she tried to deny it to herself, him wanting reminders of her made her chest feel warm. Leaning over, she pressed a kiss to his cheek.

Turning, he gave her a crooked smile and said, "I'm hungry. Want to go get dinner?"

"That sounds great," Sakura replied, finding that she had worked up quite an appetite. When Deidara rolled out of the bed and took a step toward the bathroom, she spoke up again. "Deidara?"

He paused a little, looking over his shoulder. "Yeah?"

"I, uh... need a towel."

His laughter followed him into the bathroom.


	10. The way you challenge me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again friends! I hope you're ready for some more smut, because I have some more smut for you. For those who read me more regularly, you may have noticed that I've tried out some new things with the smut in this story, and I appreciate you all in following me along on my smutty, smutty journey. 
> 
> As a quick warning, please note that there is mention of smoking in this chapter (though not by Deidara or Sakura)—I just wanted to mention that in case it's a major squick for anyone. Enjoy!

Sakura wrapped a towel around herself as she stepped out of the shower, hair dripping on her shoulders. As she almost always did, she'd woken up before Deidara, taking advantage of the time alone to take a long, hot shower.

The night before had been another in a slowly growing chain of good evenings with Deidara. After the fun they'd had with her tying him to the bed, they'd gone downstairs and shared dinner, hanging out in the bar for a while before retiring for the night. They'd fallen into bed together, and to her surprise they hadn't had sex again—Deidara had just pulled her onto his chest, and after a little murmured conversation, they'd fallen asleep with her draped on top of him.

Finished with toweling herself off and drying the majority of the water out of her hair, Sakura stepped into a pair of panties and pulled on the shirt of Deidara's that she'd stolen on her way into the bathroom. It fell to just above her waist, leaving a wide band of skin between it and the waistband of her underwear. Its soft, worn material was much more comfortable than the newer top that she'd brought with her.

When she walked out of the bathroom, she found that the bed was empty. Deidara stood at the room's single window with his bare back to her, wearing only black pants that hung from his hips. He didn't even turn at the sound of her walking toward him, intently focused on whatever he was looking at out the window. From outside, Sakura could hear what sounded like yelling.

Sakura crept up behind him and placed her hands on his back, keeping his body between the window and her pants-less self as she peeked around his arm. The window looked down on the plain courtyard that led to the entrance of No Man's Land. Directly below the window, a phalanx of the black-clad nin who protected the bar and maintained its no violence policy were in the process of throwing out a pair of unruly missing-nin. They seemed to have had no difficulty handling the situation, as the pair of troublemakers were now sulkily picking themselves up off the ground, sporting several fresh bruises.

Deidara hummed thoughtfully as the two missing-nin stumbled off, still visibly drunk—and Sakura wasn't surprised; she vaguely remembered seeing the two men drinking in the bar the night before. If they'd been drinking through the night, of couse they'd be that drunk. Turning his head to look over his shoulder, he reached behind himself with one arm and tugged her in front of him. As he pulled her fully into the morning sunlight, Sakura squeaked and reached out with both hands to grab the ends of the gauzy curtains, pulling them closed in front of her hips.

"Scared you're going to give them a show?" Deidara asked, sounding amused as he slid his arms around her waist.

"There are a lot of people down there," Sakura said defensively. Even now, after the guardians of No Man's Land had disappeared to wherever they always disappeared to, there were still random people occasionally walking through the courtyard—both employees of the bar and patrons of the inn.

"Mm-hmm," Deidara replied, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. His warm hand smoothed over her stomach, sliding up beneath the hem of her shirt. "You look good in my shirt, yeah."

"You look good without it," she returned with only a little bit of shyness, not unaware of the fact that she was becoming much bolder thanks to his influence.

Deidara only hummed again as a response, the pad of his thumb sweeping over her ribs. His other hand, blessedly out of sight of the people below, flirted with the waistband of her panties before sliding just beneath it. "You know, I've been thinking," he finally mused.

"About what?" Sakura asked, unable to suppress the coy laughter in her voice as his fingers tickled her ribs. She had a pretty good feeling that she knew he was thinking about.

"That night at the bar," Deidara said, his voice a little lower than before. Sakura tilted her head as he nuzzled into her neck, kissing the sensitive skin there.

"Which night?" she asked, though she had a feeling she knew that, too, considering the direction his left hand was moving.

He'd made his way to her ear now, tugging lightly at the lobe with his teeth before he answered, "The night where I made you come under the table."

"Oh, that," Sakura answered in a breathy voice as he sucked her earlobe into his mouth, making her shiver. Deidara chuckled low in his throat, and Sakura continued in a casual voice that she knew wasn't in the least bit believable, "What about it?"

"You came really hard—I felt it," he said suggestively. The fingertips he'd slid just inside of her panties moved a little lower, brushing against her neatly cropped thatch of curls. "I have a theory about that." His other hand slid up far enough to cup her breast under the shirt, and she could feel the lips in his palm press against her nipple.

"Oh?" Sakura's hands tightened slightly in their grip on the curtains, and she bit her lip, leaning her head back against his shoulder. Some part of her retained enough focus to make sure that the curtains were still obscuring her from the waist down.

As the mouth in his palm sucked her nipple into its warmth, his other hand moved lower, stretching her panties away from her skin. Without thinking, Sakura shifted slightly so that her legs were a little farther apart than before. Bringing his mouth close to her ear, Deidara murmured in a soft, teasing voice, "I think you liked the idea that we could've been caught."

Sakura felt her face warm. She opened her mouth to protest, but her memory of that night made her stop—she remembered the way the lightest touch from him had set her aflame. The way her fear that someone might catch them had heightened her awareness of everything he did. In fact, she was beginning to feel the same way now. The corners of her mouth curling slightly, Sakura finally admitted, "...Maybe."

Deidara hummed softly, pressing a kiss to the shell of her ear before continuing in that same teasing tone, "Think the people down there can see us through the window?"

"Deidara..." she said, finally fully understanding what he was thinking, but trailing off as he took her earlobe between his lips again, sucking. She kept her eyes on the window, watching the random passersby below, her stomach twisting in undeniable excitement.

"Do you want me to stop, Sakura?" Deidara's hands didn't move, and rather than calm her, it just stoked the fires of her anticipation.

Wetting her lips, she whispered, "No."

He slid her hand further into her panties, brushing over her curls. Pressing himself against her back, she could feel that he was more than a little hard. His warm hand cupping her sex, he nuzzled into her neck again, and she tilted her head so that her hair fell to the side, fully baring her neck to him.  
  


When his fingers first slid over her folds, she could feel that she was already beginning to get wet for him, and she was getting wetter by the moment as his fingers slowly stroked her.

"Just imagine them looking up here—seeing the hottest girl they've ever seen, with someone's hand up her shirt." He squeezed her breast, the mouth in his palm slicking its tongue over her nipple, and Sakura exhaled a shaky breath, not taking her eyes off of the courtyard through the window. Below, a burly man walked by, pausing long enough to make Sakura's pulse race before he continued on. As Deidara's middle finger slid through her folds to tease at her entrance, he murmured, "Think they'd wonder what the other hand is doing?"

Sakura's breath caught in her throat as his now-slick finger slid up to find her clit, and she whimpered, pressing her ass back into his hardness. "Deidara," she said again, this time in a moan.

"You sure you don't want me to stop, hellcat?" he asked, his smug tone telling her he already knew the answer—he just wanted to hear her say it. "Because we can stop..."

"Don't stop," she murmured, desperate to touch him but afraid to let go of the curtains. Without thinking, she added, "I never want you to stop touching me."

His hands froze for a split second and then relaxed again. "That so?" he murmured into her neck, sounding more than a little amused.

Sakura blinked, cheeks warming as she sputtered, "I meant—" and then trailed off, not sure how to finish.

"I know what you meant, yeah," he said softly. Between her legs, his hand's slick tongue slid out to replace his finger on her clit. She let out an involuntarily shaky breath and melted against him.

Sakura bit her lip as Deidara's fingers slid back down to her entrance, the tongue in his palm flattening over her clit. The desire that was filling her was almost dizzying, but it didn't stop her from noticing as, below in the courtyard, a man walked out of No Man's Land to stand a few feet from the entrance.

"See that dude down there?" Deidara asked, clearly enjoying teasing her as the man below pulled out a pack of cigarettes. As he slowly slid a finger into her slick channel, Sakura held back a whimper. She fisted her hands in the flimsy curtains, determined not to let them fall completely open. "Do you think he could see us if he looked up here?"

Sakura bit down harder on her lip, a noise of pleasure dying in her throat as he began to slowly stroke inside her, his tongue tormenting her clit. Not to be left out, his other hand caught her nipple between its teeth, pricking softly as he whispered into her ear, "If I make you moan, do you think he'll hear you through the glass?"

When the mouth on his left palm closed around her clit and began to suck, Sakura did let out a soft cry, feeling the heat in her face as she stared at the man below to make sure he didn't hear. The man just tapped a cigarette out of the pack and lit it, staring off into the distance as he took a drag. Feeling paradoxically relieved and excited, Sakura regained some of her fire and asked, "You love to torment me, don't you?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you how much, yeah," he purred in her ear. Sakura's breath caught in her throat again as he curled his fingers inside her, pressing his lips beneath her ear.

He continued to tease and torment her with his hand until she could feel how wet she'd become. She whimpered, pressing herself back against him as she watched the man smoking below to make sure he didn't look up. Deidara grinded his hips against hers, and she could hear the ragged edge to his breath as he said, "I want to fuck you."

The roughness to his tone temporarily drove all thoughts of getting caught from her mind and replaced them with need. Leaning forward and into the window, still holding the curtains in place, she turned her head and met the one blue eye that wasn't covered by his hair, angling her hips out invitingly.

She watched the corners of his mouth curl as he looked at her, and he slid his hand out of her panties and shirt only to curl his fingers in the waistband of her panties, pulling them down over her hips as he sank into a crouch. Looking up at her, he held her eyes as he pressed a kiss to her hip, pulling back as she stepped out of her panties.

Tossing them to the side, Deidara stood, leaning forward, his bare chest brushing against her back as he murmured in her ear, "I hope you have a death grip on those curtains, hellcat."

Sakura licked her lips, her eyes darting forward and down to where the man still stood smoking below as another patron ambled past him. Her palms were braced against the window with the curtains trapped beneath them, her face mere inches from the glass, her quickened breath reflecting back at her. Behind her, she could hear the sound of Deidara's pants unfastening, and when she felt the silky, blunt head of his cock nudging at her folds, she briefly closed her eyes, pushing her hips back slightly.

He pressed into her, and he was hard and thick and _perfect_ , just like he always was. With her legs only parted slightly, he stood with his feet outside of hers and angled his hips just right to slowly slide home. Nipping lightly at her shoulder, he began to move inside her, keeping up a slow, tantalizing rhythm as Sakura braced herself against the thankfully sturdy glass, her heart racing.

The earlier teasing had already wound her pleasure up until it was tightly coiled inside her, waiting for release, and she whimpered as he drew out her torment, giving her enough to creep higher, higher, but never enough to reach that peak. She knew he was tormenting himself just as much by the ragged edge to his breath as he grinded himself against her, one hand tight on her hip as the other crept back between her legs, wicked tongue flicking. Her hands balled into fists in the curtains, her thighs trembling as her body crept closer to orgasm.

The man smoking below moved again, flicking his cigarette as he lifted his head slightly, and Sakura froze, body humming right on the precipice of her climax, certain he was going to look up to where she was. As a bolt of excitement went through her, she felt herself tighten around Deidara's throbbing length, and he groaned out, "Fuck," slowing his movements to a crawl. The mouth in his hand lustily sucked at her clit as he rasped, "You want me to stop? If he sees your face, he's going to know exactly what I'm doing to you."

"No," Sakura moaned desperately. "I'm so close." Her hands tightened in the curtains as Deidara hissed out a breath and began fucking her faster, his desperation matching hers. The man below crouched to put out his cigarette just as a cry broke through Sakura's lips. The sound seemed to trigger the end of Deidara's patience as he caught both her hips in an iron grip and began pumping into her with strong, fast strokes.

Sakura pushed herself back into his thrusts, gasping as her orgasm crested and broke, her eyes closing as waves of pleasure sang through her. The sound of the curtains ripping in her hands was buried beneath her panting, her whole body throbbing as she struggled to stay quiet.

She trembled against him as he drew out her pleasure, his thrusts growing more ragged until he finally groaned and followed her, his warmth spreading inside her as he reached his release. He let out a low groan as he came, and Sakura shook with her own aftershocks as she felt him pulse inside her.

Sakura panted softly, finally relaxing her white-knuckled grips on the now-tattered curtains. Eyes snapping open as she suddenly stiffened, she looked down at the courtyard below, seeing that the man who'd been there earlier had disappeared.

"Don't worry," Deidara said in a slightly amused tone, sounding a bit winded himself as he rested his chin on her shoulder. "I don't think he saw."

Sakura relaxed as Deidara slid his hands from her hips to circle his arms around her waist, and she leaned back into him as she archly replied, "That's because I didn't let go of the curtains."

A low laugh curled against her shoulder before Deidara kissed it. "I'll have to try harder next time."

Hearing him laugh made a smile spread on her lips. "If you try any harder, I might die," she teased.

He growled playfully and pulled out of her. Before she could react, he grabbed her, turning her and scooping her into his arms, which tore the curtains from her grasp. She shrieked as the flimsy fabric swung open, but he spun her away before anyone could see her mostly nude state, carrying her back to the bed. Startling a giggle out of her, he dropped her unceremoniously on the mattress, letting her bounce before he dropped down to lie beside her, both of them draped horizontally over the bedspread.

Feeling warm and sated, Sakura rolled to her side, humming happily as she nuzzled into Deidara's shoulder. She felt his fingers idly toying with her hair as they both lay there for a long, comfortably quiet moment as they caught their respective breaths.

"When do you have to leave?" Deidara asked, lifting his head slightly to peer over at her.

"As soon as I get cleaned up again," Sakura answered as she turned her face toward him, more than aware of what was swiftly becoming a very messy situation between her legs.

Deidara grinned at her, placing a loud kiss on her forehead. "Thanks for letting me take advantage of you and your exhibition kink before you go." Putting his outside arm behind his head, he sounded satisfied as he said, "That'll do me until the next time you visit."

Sakura dryly responded, "Glad to have scratched your itch for the month."

Perhaps hearing the note of insult in her voice, Deidara chuckled. "Hey, you're the one who's just having fun. I'm obsessed."

A heat that was more than just post-coital glow rose in her cheeks. His tone made him sound like he was joking, but his words still gave her a fluttering feeling in his stomach. Trying to match his light tone, she began, "Oh come on, don't act like you're not—" but then she faltered.

That lazy grin had begun to spread over his face again as he finished her sentence. "Using you for sex?" He snorted. "Please. I was using you for entertaining conversation way before I was using you for sex, yeah."

Sakura smacked his arm and he laughed, but still, as she stood up from the bed to go and get cleaned up, there was a smile on her face. Like usual, she could never quite tell whether Deidara was joking or not—he probably was. Still, what he'd said made her feel better, even if that feeling was something she didn't want to inspect too closely.

Instead, the smile lingered on her face as she let her mind wander back to the sex they'd just had. The more time she spent with Deidara, the more Sakura had to admit that there was something about him that put her at ease. Now, without desire clouding her brain, the idea that she'd gotten so excited over the prospect of getting caught while having sex surprised her. She never thought she'd discover something so salacious about herself, but with Deidara, she found it easy to admit to what excited her.

When she exited the bathroom, she was surprised to find Deidara fully dressed—complete with clay pouches at his hips—and shrugging on his pack. Tilting her head, she asked, "You're leaving?"

"It's boring without you here," he answered simply, picking up her pack and handing it to her. She took it, and when their eyes met, he smiled that lazy smile and continued, "Don't worry, I'll come back in time to see you next month."

She returned his smile, ruefully adding, "I was only able to take enough time off for one night next time."

Deidara pouted a little for a moment, then brightened again and said, "Don't plan on getting any sleep." Turning on his heel, he abruptly walked out of the room without waiting to see if she was following.

Sakura tutted, feeling a rush of affection in spite of the irritation he caused. Refusing to run to catch up to him, she instead took a moment to put her toiletries in her pack and secure everything before finally slinging it over her shoulders and following him out of the room.

She didn't catch sight of him until she got to the bottom of the stairs. He stood at the bar, handing money over to the head bartender, who Sakura had begun to intuit was also the owner of No Man's Land. A pang of guilt flashed through her, and when he turned away from the bar and headed back toward her, she spoke up. "You know... you don't always have to pay for everything."

Deidara made a face at her that wordlessly told her he thought she was being stupid. "Don't worry about it. I have so much money from my Akatsuki days that it's pretty much lost all meaning."

Frowning slightly, Sakura said, "Still… I have my own money, you know. You should let me pay sometimes."

"I like paying for you, yeah," Deidara said lightly. But the way he tossed his hair out of his face and quickly turned to continue toward the door made her think he was a little embarrassed, and she had to repress a smile. Although she was tempted to tease him about it, she decided to let the subject drop.

Following him outside, she stopped beside him as he reached his left hand into the pouch at his side. Sakura watched curiously as the mouth in his hand chewed the wad of clay, the tongue extending to show a cute little bird. Deidara threw it into the air, where it swiftly grew to a rideable size.

"So, this is how you get around," Sakura said, not hiding the admiration in her voice. He'd mentioned it before, and she'd seen a small picture in the Bingo Book, but this was her first time seeing it in person.

He'd produced a hair tie with his other hand and was tying some of his hair back into a high ponytail. A little thread of amusement ran through her as she remembered what he'd said about needing the ponytail because his hair flowed so elegantly in the wind. Missing—or ignoring—her amusement, Deidara said, "Yeah, it's how I get around. Like it? I could give you a ride home."

As much as she wanted to say yes, Sakura shook her head. "I don't think it would be a good idea for you to get that close to Konoha without warning."

"Good point," Deidara said thoughtfully. To her surprise, he didn't seem insulted at all.

"But maybe you could take me flying next time?" she offered. "And show me more of—" She started to say his explosion release, but at the last minute she changed her mind and finished, "—your art."

She didn't miss the way his eyes lit up as he turned to her, smiling broadly. Cupping her cheek with his hand, he said, "It's a date, yeah." The lips on his palm pressed themselves to her cheek, and before she could reply he had pulled away, winking at her before he turned and jumped up onto the bird's back.

Sakura backed up as the bird's large wings began to flap, holding a hand in front of her eyes to protect them from dust as it ascended. Deidara lifted a hand in a wave—and damn it, his hair _did_ look elegant in the wind.

As Deidara and his bird began to get more distant, Sakura turned toward Konoha and began her chakra-supported run back home. And, as always when she left Deidara, she had a smile on her face, and with some surprise, she realized exactly how it was that Deidara always made her feel.

She was happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you next time on a MAGIC BIRDIE RIDE!


	11. The way you soar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I'm a little late this week! It's been a rough week. If it's been a rough week for you too, well, I hope you turn on some gotdamn Aladdin music and enjoy this here magic birdie ride.

About a quarter mile from No Man's Land, Sakura slowed from her loping run into a walk, unable to ignore the way her chakra was sputtering.

She was tired. It seemed like she had done nothing but work since the last time she'd visited Deidara, and the last twenty-four hours had been especially taxing. After a double shift at the hospital that had involved no breaks and several emergencies, she'd finally set off to meet Deidara, already completely exhausted. Sure, she could tap into her reserves, but her reserves were for emergencies—not for having the energy to fuck a missing-nin. Unfortunately.

Still, she was happy to be on her way to see him. She'd considered whether she should call their meeting off and reschedule, but she didn't really have a way to get in touch with him—and besides, she really wanted to see him. At this point, she could no longer deny how much she enjoyed their time together, and how much spending time with him brightened her otherwise work-oriented life.

In fact, it had started to feel like, underneath everything, this was more than just fun for her. Maybe she was imagining things, but she thought that Deidara felt that way, too. All month, that thought had been popping up in her mind when she least expected it, and every time she quashed it as quickly as possible. She was probably crazy for even thinking it in the first place. For one thing, all she _wanted_ was fun. For another, Deidara totally wasn't the type to be serious about any sort of relationship.

Right?

Shaking her head, as if she could literally shake her thoughts away, Sakura looked up from the path in front of her only to blink as a small white object fluttered down from the treetops at the edge of the clearing she stood in. As her eyes focused on it, she saw what looked like a small white flower, but something seemed _off_ about it, and she came to a halt.

Before she could do anything else, the flower exploded in a small sunburst of colorful sparks. "Shit!" she blurted, startled. Scowling a little, Sakura looked up in time to see a shadow dropping from the tree above.

Deidara landed lightly on his feet in front of her, wearing his usual lazy grin. Putting her hands on her hips, Sakura tilted her head. "What was that for?"

"You looked like you were thinking too hard, yeah," Deidara responded unrepentantly, putting his hands on his hips to mimic her. As he took her in, his expression softened slightly and he added, "You look tired, too."

Sakura let her hands fall from her hips as she pouted in spite of herself. "You know, that's not exactly something women like to hear." Sighing, she added, "I had a double shift before I left to come here."

He was still studying her face as he asked, "When was the last time you slept?"

"I don't know." Shaking her head again, she changed the subject. "Have you just been waiting out here for me?"

Deidara's face brightened. "I wanted to show you something." As Sakura watched, he reached into the clay pouch at his side. The mouth in his hand worked a chunk of clay for a few moments before its tongue extended, a small white bird perched on its tip.

Despite her exhaustion, Sakura felt her own mood brightening in response to him, her eyes meeting his. "Are we going somewhere?"

"You said you wanted to see my art." There was a gleam of excitement in his eyes. "You up for it?"

"As long as I don't have to do too much work," Sakura joked.

"You just have to sit there and be impressed, yeah," he said smugly, throwing the bird in the air.

As it grew large enough for both of them to ride, Sakura leaned a bit closer to Deidara and teased, "This hasn't all been some kind of long con to kidnap me, right?"

Looking down at her, Deidara grinned a crooked grin and said, "You got me." Before she could reply he'd grabbed her and looped an arm beneath her knees, scooping her up, and Sakura laughed as he jumped up onto the bird, taking her with him.

As he set her on her sandaled feet on the bird's back, Sakura looked up at the sky above them, where large, fluffy clouds hung low in the late afternoon light. "The cloud cover is pretty low," she remarked.

"I know. That's why we're going to go through it." Before Sakura could reply, the bird flapped its wings and began rapidly ascending. Unable to repress a small shriek of surprise, Sakura braced herself against the movement. She could hear a chuckle from behind her as the bird approached the clouds and, without slowing, shot up into them.

For a moment, everything was muted around her, the damp feel of the cloud clinging to her skin. But even if she couldn't see anything, she could feel Deidara's warm hand on her waist, and when she leaned into him, it smoothed up her side.

They broke out of the top of the cloud cover and into the orange-red glow of sunset, and Sakura smiled broadly as she looked around her. It looked like they were flying above a world of clouds—the earth below wasn't visible at all. Everything was lit with gold and magical as the bird skimmed over the tops of the clouds, throwing its shadow below.

When Sakura turned to smile at Deidara, he smiled back. "Probably should've asked if you're afraid of heights," he said.

Sakura snorted. "What kind of shinobi is afraid of heights?"

Deidara grinned his approval. "Hold on." As the bird sharply banked to the right, Sakura leaned into him again, and he kept her steady as they turned in the opposite direction. With the sun behind them, Deidara looked down at her and quirked a brow. "You ready?"

"Amaze me," Sakura challenged, returning his grin.

And he did. As the bird made lazy circles through the air, he threw handfuls of little cute white creatures that burst into various colors, filling the late afternoon sky with sparks. She stood in front of him, anchoring herself to the bird with chakra, smiling broadly as she watched the show. Occasionally she would steal a look over her shoulder, taking in the sight of Deidara, his eyes alight as he did the thing he clearly loved most in the world. She never watched him for long, though, her attention always stolen by the blazing splendor he was creating around them.

In between some of the showy fireworks there were real explosions, hinting at Deidara's actual power. Sakura couldn't help but be impressed as she began to understand why this was more than a weapon—this was art. She'd never thought that something so destructive could be beautiful, but the way he filled the world with fury that was gone in the next moment struck her as something special—like she was witnessing something glorious that was only for her, that showed itself to her and then vanished as quickly as it came.

Turning to face him again, she held her windswept hair out of her face as she said, "It's beautiful," making sure to speak loudly enough that he could hear her over the air rushing around them. The bird they rode on began to slow until it was merely drifting over the clouds below, making it easier to talk. She watched as the mouth on his right hand produced a spider and he hurled it out ahead of them. "I think your hands are the coolest kekkei genkai I've ever seen."

He'd looked pleased when she'd called his art beautiful, but when she mentioned his hands, he surprised her by looking introspective and saying, "They're not kekkei genkai."

Sakura blinked at him as, behind her, the spider erupted in a corona of purple sparks. "Wait... they're not?"

Pausing in his display, Deidara held his hands palms out, both mouths full of clay. "They're the result of a forbidden jutsu I stole from my village. It's one of the two things that made me a missing-nin. Other than joining Akatsuki, yeah. But that part wasn't my idea."

Sakura processed what he was telling her. This information wasn't in the Bingo Book entry that she'd read on him. Unable to contain her curiosity, she asked, "What was the other thing?"

"Generally being anti-government," Deidara answered casually, a slight quirk to his lips.

Sakura just held his eyes for a moment, thinking. She wasn't surprised that he was anti-government, nor was she surprised that he'd stolen the forbidden jutsu. The thing that surprised her was that he was sharing this information with her at all. Maybe he was just careless—or maybe he was beginning to trust her.

"Why did you steal the forbidden jutsu?" she asked. If he was going to offer up information, she wasn't going to hesitate to take it.

"For my art," he said simply, like that was the only possible answer.

"Was it worth it?" She tilted her head, trying to imagine something that she was willing to forsake her village for.

"Of course it was, yeah," he answered without pause, grinning as he threw two clusters of tiny clay birds down in front of them. The resulting chain of explosions propelled the bird they were on a little higher.

Sakura had no doubt that he meant it. His expression was so light, so free, and for a moment she wondered if she'd ever experienced something like that—something she would sacrifice anything for, just for the pure joy of it. She didn't know the answer in that moment, but she knew something else—she wanted to see more of that joyous expression on Deidara's face.

Smiling, she said, "Alright. You can stop holding back now."

Deidara flashed her a questioning look. "What?"

"These are fireworks," Sakura said, crossing her arms. "I want to see the real stuff."

He gave her a not-quite-believable pout that did nothing to mask the excitement in his eyes. "I thought you would like the fireworks."

"I loved them," she said, not missing the way he beamed at her words, "But I want to see what you can really do."

The excitement in his eyes took over his whole face, his teeth gleaming in the feral grin that he gave her. "We're going to have to go higher. Hold on."

Sakura stepped so that she was behind Deidara, reaching out to hook her fingers into his waistband. He looked at her over his shoulder and waited for her nod before sending the bird into its ascent. As Deidara's hands delved back into the pouches at his hips, Sakura braced herself, ready for what he was going to show her.

And show her he did. The clay creatures that he threw into the air as the bird continued to rise expanded into much larger forms than before, and the explosions that followed buoyed their rise. These weren't the colorful sparks that he'd been showing her so far, but pure, flaming destruction whose booming explosions filled the sky. Sakura watched, entranced by the pure power that he displayed—she knew that her own strength made for a destructive power that was unrivaled amongst many ninja, but this was on a whole other level.

As Deidara's conflagration bathed them in warmth, Sakura looked over his shoulder to watch the profile of his face. The excitement, the _devotion_ to his art there might have scared her in different circumstances, but she was surprised that the only thing she felt was a deep, abiding affection. More than before, she understood now that this was the thing that lit Deidara's heart, that drove everything he did—and even more than seeing his talent, seeing the elation on his face made her feel like she understood him in a way that she hadn't previously.

Deidara turned his head enough to see her watching him. Sakura didn't know what he saw written on her face, but upon seeing it, he fully turned toward her, his hands reaching up. Cupping her face, he tilted her head up, his eyes full of fire as he leaned down to kiss her.

He'd kissed her before, certainly. All kinds of kisses—many filled with a passion that had taken her breath away. But now, with explosions all around them that lit the darkening afternoon sky as bright as day, he kissed her like she was the only thing in the world. It was the kind of kiss that was overwhelming, and Sakura leaned into it, letting her returning kiss tell him everything that she couldn't say in that moment—how much she liked him. How much happiness he'd given her. How, even if this was all they had, it was more than she'd ever expected when she'd first met him at No Man's Land.

He finally broke the kiss as the explosions around them died, leaning back on his heels to look at her, his expression the soft one that he sometimes wore when he looked at her. Sakura leaned up to press one last, sweet kiss on his lips, and he broke into a smile. It was a smile that made her chest swell in a way that Sakura wasn't quite ready to analyze.

As the bird they rode on began to slow down again, slowly drifting lower toward the cloud cover, Sakura smiled back, adopting a teasing tone as she asked, "Is that everything? I want to make sure I get everything when I update your Bingo Book entry."

Deidara's eyes narrowed, his mouth quirking up at one end. "I still haven't shown you a clay clone. Those blow up too, yeah. But I'd need more clay for that."

"Maybe next time," Sakura replied in the same teasing tone.

As the adrenaline of his pyrotechnic show began to fade, she smothered a yawn, and Deidara's keen eyes caught it. "Maybe when you're not dead on your feet, you mean. Come on, we can sit for the ride back."

Pulling her back in front of him, Deidara helped her to sit, until she was cross-legged on the bird's shoulders. He sat behind her, legs on either side of her as his arms snaked around her waist, tugging her back into him. Unable to hide her exhaustion anymore, Sakura leaned back against him, resting her hands on his forearms.

As the bird skimmed slowly over the clouds, now lit purple by the dying light of sunset, Sakura gave a pleased hum. "I'm jealous that you get to see this all the time."

"You can see it any time you want," Deidara responded lightly.

"You just go all over the world like this, don't you? Must be nice," Sakura said enviously, not really thinking much about what she was saying.

"You could always come with me."

Blinking, Sakura twisted in Deidara's arms to face him, her stomach tightening. There was an uncharacteristically serious look in his eyes, and as his offer sunk in, Sakura scrambled for a response as all of her responsibilities flew through her head—her friends. The hospital. Her dedication to Konoha. "Deidara... I can't..."

The serious look on his face was gone as quickly as it had come, and he laughed, tweaking her side. "Don't freak out, hellcat. It was just a joke." Bodily turning her again so she was back in her position of leaning against him, he nipped at her shoulder and said, "I probably shouldn't mess with you when you're so tired. There's no challenge to it."

She knew it wasn't a joke, just like she knew that her rejection wasn't, either. But it was easier to let it pass, let the warmth of his arms around her lull her back into comfort, and Sakura sighed as she relaxed against him. "You're an idiot."

"Yeah, well, this idiot is starving. Let's head back and get something to eat, and then you can pass out." His voice took on a lofty tone as he added, "And you'd better get some good sleep, because tomorrow morning you're going to pay me back for all the sex we're not going to have tonight."

Sakura laughed, relieved that the awkward moment had passed. "Deal."

There was a comfortable silence between them as the bird coasted lower, taking them back down through the cloud cover. The cool mist on her skin made her shiver slightly, and Deidara's arms tightened around her. When they broke through the bottom of the cloud bed, Sakura could see the lights of No Man's Land not too far ahead and was glad for it. She couldn't wait to eat something and then collapse into bed.

Still, as they reached the inn and went inside in search of food, there was one little voice in the back of her mind that wouldn't be quiet. That voice that said that this wasn't just fun anymore—the voice that said that there was going to be a reckoning, and she needed to be ready for it.

The voice that said that she could deny her feelings all she wanted, but they weren't going anywhere.

It followed her through the rest of the evening, while they sat in the bar and bantered over dinner, while they went upstairs to get ready for bed. Deidara seemed unchanged, acting like his usual self as he stripped down to his pants before throwing himself on the bed. When Sakura crawled on after stripping down to her panties and stealing his shirt to sleep in, he just smirked at her, laying back with one arm behind his head as he offered her the other.

And as Sakura curled herself against his side, her eyes heavy with sleep and her body limp with exhaustion, she felt contented in a way that she knew she couldn't look at too closely—so she didn't. She just let herself drift off to sleep, the good food and good company enough to leave her feeling almost completely satisfied.

All except for one little voice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A WHOLE NEW WOOOOORLD!


	12. The way you make me feel

A light touch on the back of her hand woke Sakura, sleep still clinging to her as she stirred beneath the bed sheets. Opening her eyes just a little, she was able to see that the room was bright with late morning sun. It was much brighter than it was when she usually woke up, letting her know she'd slept later than normal in her exhaustion. Closing her eyes again, she nuzzled into Deidara's shoulder as she felt his fingers trace up over the back of her hand.

Lying beside him on the bed, her body close to the warmth of his, Sakura felt blissfully rested and wanted nothing more than to linger a while longer. During her sleep she'd managed to move onto his pillow, nestled in next to his shoulder, her face buried in the top of it. Without much thought she pressed a kiss to his warm skin, and she heard a soft hum rumble in his throat in response as his fingers wove with hers.

She felt Deidara lift her hand to his mouth and press a similarly sleepy kiss to her knuckles, and it made her smile and finally open her eyes for real. "Good morning," she murmured, and he hummed again as he turned to face her, letting their linked hands fall between them to the bed. His eyes, when he opened them, were a softer blue that the electric color she was used to seeing, and were heavily lidded and peaceful.

He gave her a slight, lazy smile in return for her greeting, letting his eyes close again as he rested his forehead beside hers, that ever-present blonde forelock falling over one eye. He always did want to sleep later than her in the morning, so Sakura knew for sure that she had slept later than usual if he was waking up. He wasn't wearing a shirt—because his shirt happened to be what _she_ was wearing—but she could see by the one leg he had thrown over the blankets that he still wore his pants on his lower half. Slowly kicking the blankets off of herself, Sakura wormed closer to him, one bare leg twining with his as she drew their linked hands up beneath her chin. Deidara's fingers squeezed hers lightly, that smile still playing over his lips.

Sakura finally released his hand and, unable to stop herself, reached up to push the blonde forelock out of his face. When she looked back to his face his eyes were open again, watching her with a soft expression that she couldn't quite place. Still looking half-asleep, he smoothed his hand up her arm, finally reaching her face. Cupping her cheek, he drew her closer to him and pressed his lips to hers.

It was the softest kiss he'd ever given her, light and warm, right at the corner of her mouth. And then he placed another at the other corner, slowly creeping in with kisses until he was kissing her fully, a soft sigh exhaling through his nostrils. When his hand, a little bolder now, crept down her back to her waist and pulled her closer to him, she wrapped her leg around his waist, her own hands splaying over the warmth of his chest.

This warm, quiet Deidara was a side of him that she had only seen in glimpses, but he didn't hold back at all now, slowly kissing her like he would be content if that was the only thing he ever did. As Sakura slid her hands up and curled her arms around his neck, he rolled toward her, deepening their kiss even as he braced himself over her, his hair falling free again and brushing silkily against her cheek.

Sakura pulled him down into her, relishing the feeling of his body pressing against her as she slid her fingers up and into his hair, stroking over his scalp. Hunger had crept into Deidara's kiss until he was devouring her mouth, his tongue stroking over hers. Still, his touch never grew hurried, his hand warm and steady as it slid up over her stomach and ribs, under his shirt, like he was determined to feel every inch of her.

He had never touched her like this—Sakura didn't think _anyone_ had ever touched her like this. He'd been like fire with her before, swift and encompassing, but this slow, tender passion was something she wasn't ready for, and she was overwhelmed by it. Feeling like she was being swept away, she kissed him back with a sweet desperation that she felt down to her toes.

Deidara pushed the shirt lazily higher, his hand finding her breast and cupping it. As the lips on his palm pressed to her nipple, he kissed his way down her jaw to her neck. The slow intensity that he touched her with was irresistible, and Sakura closed her eyes, tilting her head to give him better access to her neck. The stroke of his tongue on her skin sent a soft, shuddering tingle through her body, and she let her hands slide from his hair to his shoulders, tracing over the lean, corded muscle that she found there.

His hand moved higher, pushing the shirt above her breasts, and then he was kissing his way lower, his mouth dragging over the upper curve of one breast before finding the nipple that had been abandoned by his hand. Sakura's breath quickened as he took it into his mouth, slowly sucking, his tongue swirling around the sensitive bud. His other hand cupped her other breast, the mouth in its palm giving the same treatment to her other nipple, and Sakura bit her lip, a small sound leaving her throat at the dual sensations.

His teeth grazed, but never bit, his mouths hungry as he finally moved lower, sucking, kissing, licking as he trailed his lips over her stomach, which tensed beneath his ministrations. Sakura opened her eyes at the feeling of his fingers curling into the waistband of her panties, looking down in time to see him giving her a questioning look. Releasing her lower lip from her teeth, she gave him what she knew was a shy smile and lifted her hips to give him permission.

As he slid her panties down over her hips and then her thighs, he moved himself lower, holding her gaze as he pressed a kiss to her thigh. The look in his eyes was one of gentle intensity, and Sakura could feel herself flushing beneath it. That seemed to please him, because he smiled at her as he finally slid her panties off of her feet. In a soft, low voice that was completely different than the one he usually used to growl naughty things at her, he murmured, "Beautiful."

His hands slid up her legs, starting at her ankles and then smoothing up over her knees to her thighs, slowly spreading them. As he moved up, kissing his way up her thigh, his eyes rose to meet hers again, deep blue and full of warmth. As he approached the apex of her thighs, he let his eyes drift shut, and when he pressed a kiss to the center of her, she was already slick and sensitive and ready for him.

Sakura let out a shaky breath, letting her head fall back as his tongue drew up between her folds. He'd done this before, but never so slowly, teasingly, like he planned to stay there forever. As he unhurriedly moved, lips and tongue devouring her with unhurried, sweet insistence, Sakura slid her hands down to weave her fingers through his hair again, unable to stop herself from touching him. When he took her clit between his lips, sucking lightly, she keened quietly for him, her hips curling toward him.

She was lost in the way he touched her, climbing higher with each smooth stroke of his tongue, each movement of his lips. The more he touched her, the more she wanted him, until she was dangling on the precipice of her climax, her body crying to have him inside her. Unable to keep herself from him any longer, she tightened her fingers slightly in his hair, tugging upwards as she whispered, "Deidara, please..."

He gave into her, pressing a kiss to the inside of one trembling thigh before crawling back up over her. Sakura's hands slid down to his shoulders, his chest, drinking him in, passing over the flat of his stomach before they reached his pants. As she pushed at them, he brushed his lips lightly against hers, letting her taste herself before he pulled back enough to kick his pants off. Needing him inside her, needing to feel every inch of him, she curled one hand behind his neck as the other reached down to guide him into her.

There was a tremor in Deidara's breath as he sank inside her. Sakura arched beneath him, pulling him down to her, her mouth seeking his. He kissed her hungrily as his hands curled around her thighs, pulling her legs up and around his waist as he slowly moved with her, sliding out of her before pushing back into her slick warmth, a low noise rumbling in his throat.

Sakura let out a quiet moan against his mouth as his slow, steady movements stoked the fire he had created, the feel of him hard inside her making her quake around him. Her hands spread over his back, gripping, pulling him closer, as close as he could get.

It was sex like they had never had before. Soft. Intense. Overwhelming. Her heart was pounding in her chest, their kisses broken by gasps for air. The hot roll of his breath on her neck as he lowered his head, grinding against her, only echoed her own, their movements both getting more quietly frantic as the tension built.

She fluttered around him, feeling herself getting closer, and he groaned and quickened his pace. A whimpered cry burst from her lips as she arched beneath him. Deidara clenched his jaw, never stopping, his strokes becoming longer, his cock hard and steady inside her. Sakura gasped, her whole body throbbing as she came around him.

Even as she started to come down from the high, Deidara braced himself on one hand, sliding his other hand between them. The tongue in his palm coiled around her clit as he began to drive into her harder than before, and Sakura cried out as he propelled her into a second peak, this one more intense than the first. Her eyes snapped wide in time to watch his face contort with his own orgasm, a groan ripping from his throat as he came inside her, both of their bodies taut with pleasure. As they shuddered together, Sakura's hand fisted in his hair, pulling him in for a kiss that was both desperate and so, so sweet.

Deidara held the kiss for a moment, resting most of his weight on her as his hips still ground slowly forward. Forced to break it so that they could both pant for air, he finally rested his forehead against hers, the hand between them sliding up to rest on her side. When he finally lifted his head again to look at her, she gave him a sated smile, and he returned it with a warm, affectionate look that made her heart stutter.

He pulled himself off of her, her legs relaxing on either side of him and allowing him to lie down beside her. She turned onto her side, curling herself against him just like she had earlier, though this time he was facing her. He cupped her face in his hand, the lips in his palm pressing to her cheek as he smiled at her.

It was the same soft smile he'd been giving her more and more lately. The kind of smile that made her heart beat quicker—that made that little voice in her head speak up, telling her she was kidding herself if she thought this was still just 'fun'. Suddenly a little afraid of what she would say if he looked at her like that any longer, Sakura lay her hand on top of his and then pulled it away from her cheek as she sat up. "I have to be getting back soon," she said, going with something that seemed safe to say. 

Deidara just watched her as she stood from the bed and walked to the bathroom to clean herself up. Her heart finally began to calm down as she neatened herself before returning to the room and gathering her clothing. It was as she was pulling on her shirt that Deidara finally sat up and spoke. "Don't leave."

Sakura froze, glancing at him. "What?"

"Come with me," he said simply, both his face and his tone more serious than she ever remembered seeing it.

And just like that, her pulse was quickening again. "What?" she repeated, hearing the renewed rush of her heart in her ears. Her hands shook a little as she quickly pulled on her shorts and apron.

He'd said the same thing the night before, and then claimed he was joking. But she'd known then that he wasn't joking, just like he wasn't joking now. "When I leave here. I want you to come with me, yeah," he said after a brief pause.

"Deidara..." she whispered.

"Don't tell me you don't want to," he said, his eyes intense.

Sakura flailed for something to say and settled for stalling for time as she pulled on her sandals. "What would we do? Where would we go?"

"Everywhere. Anywhere you want to," he answered. He lifted a hand and smoothed his hair out of his face. Sure, it was pretty messy after what they'd just done, but Sakura thought that it was more of a nervous gesture than anything. His gaze was intent on hers. "Come with me."

What was she supposed to say to that? A fire sparked inside Sakura. This didn't feel fair. "Just because we have good sex, I'm supposed to come away with you?"

The intensity in his eyes only increased. "It's fucking _amazing_ sex, and why the hell not?"

With nothing left to do with her hands, Sakura waved them jerkily. "Because I can't blow up my whole life for _amazing_ sex!"

Deidara's hand darted out and caught her wrist, tugging her softly toward him. He seemed to struggle with what he wanted to say for a moment, and then finally answered, "It's more than sex, damn it."

Something twisted in Sakura's stomach. Weakly, she responded, "I thought we were just supposed to be having fun."

"Have you been having fun?" he asked, tension humming in his voice. His hand slid from her wrist down to her hand, curling around it.

"Yes," she whispered, because she couldn't say anything else.

"Me too. I don't want it to stop, yeah. Come with me."

The unfairness of the situation she found herself in finally broke through in Sakura's mind, and she yanked her hand out of his grasp, her frustration boiling over. "I can't just leave everything like you did!"

Her frustration was mirrored in his expression as he clenched his jaw, biting out, "Are you going to let your village dictate your whole life? This _means_ something, hellcat. You don't want to see where it goes?"

Hearing his nickname for her made it worse. "Konoha is my home. I can't..." She broke off, turning on her heel and taking a stride away from the bed before suddenly spinning to face him again. "I can't just leave! You're a missing-nin! If I were to leave with you..."

His brow knotted, and there was derision in his voice as he asked, "So they get to own you forever? They just get to tell you what to do?"

Her face crumpled. "I can't..."

Some inner fury blazed in his eyes, but he didn't speak—his effort to hold in whatever he was thinking clearly written on his face. The fact that he was holding back any part of himself—holding back himself for _her_ —tore at Sakura's heart. "Deidara, I'm sorry, I just—"

He held up a hand to stop her, and for once, the mouth on his palm was a thin seam, no grin or lolling tongue. When he spoke, his voice held a barely contained heat. "I can't stay here forever. I just... I can't just wait around for you all the time, yeah."

Sakura felt tears pricking at her eyes and willed them not to fall. There was no way she was going to start crying. "So, what... are you saying you don't want to..." She couldn't finish, and she hated the tremor she heard in her voice.

The frown looked out of place on his face, like it was something that shouldn't be there. "I told you. I can't just wait around here forever."

Because she didn't want to cry, because anger was easier, she set her jaw, letting her own heat enter her voice. "Fine. I'm not asking you to. Go—I don't know. Go do whatever it is you do." Turning, she began to jerkily get her bag together.

His voice was soft behind her. "Hellcat..."

"Don't call me that!" she snapped as she slung her bag over her shoulder. She didn't know when her cheeks had become so wet, but that made her angry, too.

She heard him stand from the bed and stop behind her, his voice filled with the strain of uncharacteristically withheld anger. "You really going to leave it like this, Sakura?"

Turning, she glared at him, willing her chin not to tremble. Even the fact that he didn't seem to care that he was completely nude made her angry. "The fun's over, isn't it?"

He held her gaze, his face unreadable. "I guess so, yeah."

She didn't know why she was so angry at him. Some part of her knew that it was unfair, that she was really just angry at the situation—but letting herself feel that would mean letting herself feel _everything_. And she knew if she let herself feel everything...

"Then I guess this is goodbye." When Deidara didn't say anything, she brushed past him and walked to the door. She hesitated with her hand on the knob, looking over her shoulder at him—but he hadn't turned to face her, every line of his body tense. When he didn't say anything, she snapped her head back forward and yanked open the door.

She didn't look back again before slamming it behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate me. The story isn't over yet!


	13. The way you linger

After her fight with Deidara, Sakura had run back to Konoha as if she had enemy shinobi on her heels. Her tears had dried as she'd run, and when she arrived back at Konoha, the only thing she felt was a kind of hard, unforgiving anger that sat coiled inside her like a snake. The fact that she couldn't even put her finger on precisely why she was angry didn't matter. It was a relief.

Anger was easier.

Over the next week, she buried herself in work, picking up shifts from anyone she could on top of her usual workload. It wasn't pleasant work—that tightly-coiled anger never went away, making her short with her colleagues, occasionally snapping at anyone who gave her reason to. Some small part of her recognized that her anger wasn't rational, that it was unfair, but she ignored that part, just like she tried to ignore any thoughts of Deidara.

It was more difficult than she wanted to admit. Every time she would snap at someone, some traitorous part of her would imagine how Deidara would react to her snapping at him like that. He'd no doubt rise to the occasion, saying something to make her laugh, or—just as likely—saying something to make her fully explode, just to watch the sparks fly. She would quash these thoughts as soon as they arose, but in the moment before she got rid of them, her chest would clench painfully. Afterward, it left her even more angry than before.

At the end of the week, Shizune called Sakura into her office. As Sakura took a seat in front of Shizune's desk, she looked at Shizune with impassive eyes. Shizune's expression was equally unreadable, but her voice was gentle when she spoke. "We need to talk. I've received some complaints from various workers around the hospital."

Sakura's brow knotted slightly. She knew where this was going. "I haven't gotten angry at anyone who didn't deserve it."

Shizune's eyes widened slightly, as if she hadn't expected such a defensive answer. "You're usually much more likely to teach someone who makes a mistake than you are to snap at them." There was a moment of silence as Shizune waited for Sakura to reply, and when she didn't, Shizune continued in a softer voice. "It isn't like you, Sakura. Is there something wrong? Did something happen?"

Of course, there was a part of Sakura that wanted to tell Shizune everything. The compassionate look on Shizune's face was hard to deny, but then her mind's eye gave her the image of a smiling Deidara instead, and that familiar anger returned. Schooling her expression back into impassiveness, Sakura said, "Nothing's wrong. I'm fine."

Another silent moment passed, and then Shizune sighed as it became apparent that Sakura wasn't going to say anything further. Brow furrowing, Shizune's voice became firmer as she said, "Be that as it may, there _is_ something wrong when you come into my hospital and treat your coworkers poorly. I think you've been working too hard. Burnout is a real thing, Sakura, and I've seen it destroy excellent medics." Setting her mouth in a thin line, Shizune continued, "I'm taking you off the roster for the next two weeks. At the end of those weeks, we can meet again, and I will decide if you're fit to return to work."

Sakura's jaw dropped slightly. Giving a medic as highly ranked as herself that kind of time off was unheard of. It felt like a punishment. "Shizune-san, that's completely unnecessary! I'm more than fine to work!"

Shizune's gaze took on the steely look that never failed to remind Sakura of whose apprentice she was. "This isn't up for debate. Take the time to rest. You need it." Perhaps it was only in Sakura's head, but she imagined there was an implied _And get your life together_ attached to the end of Shizune's order.

Sakura quickly stood, her anger flaring inside her, the chair squeaking slightly from her quick movements. Her mouth was open to argue, to once again deny that she needed rest, to deny that there was anything wrong at all—but she was old enough now that she could control her anger when she really needed to, and losing it on her boss was definitely not a recommended course of action. Snapping her mouth shut, Sakura turned and exited the room without another word.

She went to her own office and grabbed her things in a blur, not really seeing any faces as she made her way out of the hospital. Her colleagues gave her a wide berth as she went, but she was too angry to worry about what kind of expression she was giving them as she left. All she could think about was how she was going to have nothing to do now—nothing to do but think.

And time to think was the last thing she wanted.

She was stalking her way home, a veritable black cloud over her head, when Ino suddenly stepped in front of her, making her screech to a halt. Sakura blinked, eyes finally focusing on her surroundings, and she only then realized that she had been walking in front of Ino's flower shop. In fact, she had been just about to walk completely past Ino without saying a word.

Watering can in one hand, Ino placed her other hand on her hip. "Where are you off to so fast in the middle of the day?"

"Home," Sakura bit out. "And I'm not in the mood to talk," she added, attempting to step around Ino.

Ino, of course, merely stepped into Sakura's new path as well. "Nice try, Forehead. What's wrong?" Her pale blonde brows were raised, and she had an unimpressed look on her face. Trust Ino to be completely unintimidated by an angry Sakura.

Sakura just scowled at her—she was getting really sick of that question. "Nothing's wrong." When Ino just gave her a disbelieving look, Sakura snapped, "Fine. Shizune just suspended me for two weeks. She thinks I'm burning out."

Ino set down her watering can and looked at Sakura thoughtfully. "You don't look tired to me. You just look like you're in S-class bitch mode."

The insult didn't help Sakura's thunderous expression. "Fuck you, Pig." Ino just gave her a sugar-sweet smile in return. Once again, Sakura tried to go around her, and once again, Ino got in her way.

"Last time I saw you, you were in a great mood. I thought getting laid would make you _less_ uptight," Ino tutted. "Do I need to talk to Deidara about what his duties are?"

Sakura gritted her teeth, not responding.

Unfortunately, the expression on her face must have said enough, because Ino's eyes narrowed and she asked, "You're not seeing him anymore, are you? Is that what this is all about?"

"Damn it!" Sakura exploded. "It's none of your business! Now get the hell out of my way and let me go home!"

"Sakura," Ino began in a quieter voice, her face softening. "Just tell me what happened."

"Nothing happened," Sakura said. "Absolutely fucking nothing." And wasn't that the truth? Something with a ton of potential had fizzled into nothingness—something that she told herself didn't matter anymore. Shaking the thought off, Sakura finally bullied her way forward, shouldering her way past Ino as she muttered a last, "Just leave me alone, Ino."

Ino only stumbled slightly as she was rudely pushed out of the way, letting out an indignant, "Sakura!" But Sakura only increased her pace, knowing that Ino couldn't abandon her store in the middle of the day just to follow her. She'd just have to find her gossip somewhere else.

That small part of Sakura that was just quietly watching everything that was happening—the part that felt guilty for the way that she was acting—knew that she was being unfair. Ino might be a gossip, but Sakura knew that she was legitimately concerned.

That just made it worse.

With no work, Sakura spent most of the next week furiously cleaning the little house she called home. She cleaned every surface from floor to ceiling, and when she ran out of things to clean, she finally began to organize the stacks of books and scrolls that were heaped in the small room she'd been calling an office but never actually used for anything more than storage. When that was done and she had a simple, functional office in front of her, she merely frowned at it. Nothing seemed to lighten her mood.

When she ran out of projects to do at home, she decided to spend her time training instead—anything to pass the time, anything to keep her from coming in contact with other human beings. All she wanted was to be alone and stew in her impotent anger... as long as she didn't have to inspect it too closely.

Naruto appeared several days into her training, showing up at the wooded training ground she'd selected precisely because it was further out from the village than the others, and seldom used. Arriving just as Sakura spun through the air and aimed a chakra-laced kick at the trunk of a tree, Naruto merely watched with wide blue eyes as she demolished it. Sakura landed on her feet, her breathing slightly labored from her exertions, and Naruto remarked, "Wow, Sakura-chan. What did that tree do to you?"

"What do you want, Naruto?" Sakura ground out, temporarily pausing as she fixed him with a hard stare.

Naruto offered a careless shrug before he linked his hands behind his head, giving her a lopsided grin. "Just felt like blowing off work this morning."

Sakura just continued to stare. She didn't believe him—there was no way he would just happen to blow off his usual Hokage-in-training work with Kakashi and Shikamaru and show up at this particular field while she was there. She wondered whether it had been Shizune or Ino who had talked. Probably Ino. "Yeah, well, go blow it off somewhere else. I'm training."

Bouncing a little on the balls of his feet, Naruto only continued to grin that stupid grin. "Training goes better when you have someone to spar with."

Sakura frowned at him. It was generally agreed upon that a friendly spar meant that each fighter stopped shy of using killing force, which was exactly why it was the opposite of what she wanted right now. "I'm not really in the mood to pull my punches." To illustrate, she spun and swung her fist at another tree, reducing it to splinters.

When she turned back to face Naruto, he had dropped his arms and was regarding her with a smirk. Chakra flamed forth to cover his body as he summoned the nine tails fox cloak, glowing tails snapping to life behind him. He dropped into a defensive crouch, teeth flashing in a feral grin as he said, "So don't pull your punches."

Sakura regarded him for a moment. It was true that Naruto was one of the few people in the village who could take her on at full strength without risking serious injury, although they didn't take advantage of it nearly enough. Her wordless answer was to curl her gloved hand in a fist as she launched herself at him, taking her first swing.

Naruto didn't lose his grin as he dodged her, chakra flames licking at her fist as it sailed right past his cheek. However, it had only been a beginning strike—the kind that made sure that Naruto was ready to actually fight—and her following attack was much faster and more precise. She could feel the fury that always seemed to follow her these days boiling inside of her, driving the fight, and Naruto seemed content for the moment to stay on the defensive.

As he raised his forearms to block a particularly powerful punch that sent him skidding back several feet in spite of the countering force of his fox chakra, he asked, "Why are you so angry?"

"Less talking. More fighting," Sakura growled, stomping her foot into the ground and creating a fissure that snaked across the clearing toward Naruto.

Naruto leapt to more stable ground and then continued, "Ino said you're not seeing Deidara anymore." For the first time Naruto took on the offensive, and Sakura growled as she dodged, letting his fist sail over her left shoulder before she caught his arm and turned, flipping him over her head.

As he landed on his feet, skidding backward again, she snarled, "Ino needs to keep her mouth shut!"

"I thought you liked him," Naruto said, pausing for a moment. His eyes were troubled and sincere. "Did he do something to make you angry? Do I need to go kick his ass?"

That just made the anger inside her flare further, like spikes coming through her skin. Because no matter how angry she was, deep down, she knew that Deidara had done nothing to really deserve it—and damn it, that just made her angrier. "I don't want to talk about it!"

Sakura ran at him at full speed, attacking him with a flurry of blows to his torso. To her dismay, as he shifted back and forth to take her punches in less vulnerable places, he started wheedling. "Come on." Punch. "Just tell me." Kick. "It'll make you feel better." Punch. "Pleeease?"

He finally caught her fist in one chakra-covered hand, giving her a pleading look, and before Sakura could stop herself, she blurted, "He asked me to come with him!"

Naruto blinked, releasing her fist. "Come with him where?"

Sakura didn't immediately attack him again, bristling with barely contained energy. "Anywhere. Everywhere. He wanted me to leave Konoha and..." Here, she flailed ineffectually. "...see the world, I guess," she finished bitterly.

Tilting his head to the side, Naruto looked at her quizzically. "What's the big deal? Why can't you go with him?"

She stared at him, wondering if he'd lost his mind. "Because he's a missing-nin—and I'm a Konoha shinobi! My place is here! The hospital needs me!" Remembering what she was supposed to be doing, she aimed a slightly erratic punch at him, which he easily avoided.

"That's the reason you're so angry?" Naruto asked, feinting to the left before attacking her on the right.

Sakura took the blow to her shoulder without flinching. "Yes! No. Fuck!" she nearly shouted, her breathing fast from the combination of exertion and emotion as she spun into a kick. Naruto avoided that as well, and she landed a bit sloppily on her feet, barking, "This—whatever Deidara and I had between us—it was just supposed to be _fun!_ "

As she came to a stop, so did Naruto, breathing just as hard as her as he panted, "So, are you mad at the village for holding you back, or are you mad at Deidara for changing the rules?"

He took a swing at her, and she ducked down, dodging it and then bursting upward in an uppercut that caught him under the chin. The punch was sound, and it sent Naruto arcing up into the air before he landed solidly on his ass, fox chakra and all.

Panting, she glared down at him. "Both." It made her even angrier to admit her feelings—to admit how mad she was that Deidara had turned something fun into something that required hard decisions. To admit that he'd actually made her _resent_ her own village, and all of the ties it represented.

Naruto flipped back to his feet, his face full of compassion. Shaking her head, Sakura put all of her rage into her fist as she struck out at him, but he caught it again, and this time he didn't let go. With a wordless growl she swung her other fist, but he caught that, too. Holding them tightly enough that she couldn't easily pull them free, he spoke in a soft voice. "Do you love him?"

There was another surge of rage as she planted a foot in his chest and kicked herself free, using the momentum to flip backward. She glared at him from several feet away even as she felt something inside her begin to crumble. Her voice broke as she rasped, "I don't know."

They stood like that, both catching their respective breaths as they stared at each other, and something that Naruto saw in her face made him reabsorb the fox chakra until it was just him standing there, giving her a plaintive look. "Sakura-chan. You're the biggest romantic I know. Did you really think you could just… 'have fun' with someone?"

There was a stinging sensation in her eyes now, her breath gaining a tremor as she struggled to hold his stare. "I thought..." she began, but she didn't know how to complete the sentence.

"If you didn't have your duties to Konoha to consider, would you go with him?" he finally asked.

The question hung in the air, lingering, and Sakura finally closed her eyes against the sting of unshed tears. She couldn't keep the whisper from leaving her lips. " _Yes_."

The sound of footfalls let her know that Naruto was stepping toward her just before she felt his arms wrap around her. She put her hands on his chest, ready to push him away, but he just pulled her closer and murmured in her ear. "It's going to be okay, Sakura-chan."

The tears finally squeezed out of her tightly shut lids, spilling hot and free down her cheeks. The hard wall that had been standing firm around her heart since the last time she'd seen Deidara finally came tumbling down, and she buried her face in Naruto's shoulder, letting the tears come. Naruto just held her as she thoroughly dampened his shirt, his grip on her never wavering as she released everything she had been feeling.

When Sakura stopped crying, sniffling slightly as she relaxed hands that had, at some point, fisted in his shirt, Naruto put his arms on her shoulders and pushed her back enough so that he could give her a sunny smile. "Do you feel a little bit better now?"

He looked so sunny and naturally full of hope that Sakura couldn't help but roll her eyes a little and lie. "No."

"That's a yes," he said smugly. "Good. Shikamaru's going to kill me if I'm not there for the noon meeting."

All of the fight finally gone out of her, Sakura began to pull off her gloves. She wanted to tease Naruto, insult him—anything to punish him for daring to make her face her feelings—but instead she just smiled a little and said, "You know, you're going to make a great Hokage."

"I know," Naruto answered proudly. "Are you going to be okay for now? I can tell Shikamaru to reschedule the meeting."

"No, go," Sakura sighed, tucking her gloves into her hip pouch. "I feel as good as I'm going to."

"Okay." Reaching out his hand again, he clasped her shoulder. "Don't worry, Sakura-chan. Everything really is going to work out." He said it knowingly, like he knew something she didn't. Before she could answer him, he turned on his heel and darted out of clearing, leaving her with his last words of comfort.

She didn't believe him, of course. How could things work out? Her duties to Konoha weren't going to go away, and neither were her feelings for Deidara, it seemed. But the thing about Naruto was that he was so persistently, irritatingly hopeful that when you spent enough time with him, that hope rubbed off on you. So even though her anger had faded to uncover a deep well of sadness, there was some part of her that was lightened—some part of her that hoped that she wouldn't always feel that way. That part of her was finally able to be glad again that she'd been able to meet Deidara and get to know him—even if it was only for a short time.

She couldn't, _wouldn't_ regret that.

* * *

After her talk with Naruto, Sakura found that her anger didn't return. Instead, what replaced it was a kind of dull, listless feeling that saturated her days and nights. When her weeks off had passed, she visited Shizune again, and Shizune had approved her to work, although she still looked concerned. Regardless, Shizune did nothing but welcome Sakura back, and say that she was glad that she had been able to take some time to rest.

And so, Sakura went back to work. Although she was careful not to take on too many shifts and give Shizune cause to worry further, she buried herself in work as much as she could, although that listless feeling pursued her even there. Still, it beat snapping at people, so Sakura didn't complain, and neither did any of her clearly relieved coworkers.

When she wasn't working, Ino made sure to pester her into spending time together, making Sakura join her for tea at her shop. Sakura did it all with the same lack of energy that she did everything else. She knew that what she was doing would be accurately described as sulking and knew that she just needed to grow up, get over her split with Deidara—but thus far, she hadn't been able to. All she could do was put one foot in front of the other and wait for the day that she didn't feel like such a wreck.

That was clearly not good enough for Ino. She repeatedly nagged at Sakura to talk about what happened with Deidara, and one day, as they sat drinking tea in Ino's shop, Sakura obliged. She told Ino everything—even the fact that Deidara had easily been the best sex of Sakura's life, a detail that no doubt delighted Ino's gossipy heart. More than that, though, she'd talked about how she'd grown closer to Deidara without ever meaning to, how his antagonistic flirting and surprising ability to be considerate had lured her into a level of comfortability with him that she'd never had with Sasuke.

Ino nodded sagely. "I can understand why you're so down," she finally concurred. "But things will get better. Just ask Naruto. Last time I talked to him about it, he seemed pretty confident that everything was going to work out," she said with a smirk before taking a sip of her tea.

Deep down, Sakura knew they were both right—eventually she would get over this, just like she had gotten over Sasuke. Still, she flashed Ino a narrow-eyed look and said, "You and Naruto really need to stop comparing notes on me."

Ino looked completely unapologetic. "We have to keep tabs on you somehow. The last time we took our eyes off you, you snuck off and started banging a missing-nin."

Sakura flushed. "Shut up, Pig," she shot back, though not without affection.

Ino just snickered and poured them both more tea.

* * *

As the weeks passed, Sakura went about her life, doing her best to ignore the fact that everything seemed less bright now, like life just didn't have the same excitement as before. But life didn't stop just because she was nursing hurt feelings, so she kept going, holding her head up high even though she wanted nothing more than to hide away and lick her wounds.

Throughout it all, she never stopped being aware of time passing—first the two weeks of her suspension from the hospital, and then the weeks that followed, until she reached the one-month mark since she had last seen Deidara. It was the time that they would usually meet up again, and the fact that Sakura wasn't heading to No Man's Land made everything feel even more final. But the day came and went, and though she mourned the end of their trysts, she kept on going—one foot in front of the other—even though everything in her was missing him.

At the end of one of her shifts, one of the hospital aids approached her and told her she was being summoned to the Hokage's office. Frowning thoughtfully and wondering what she was being summoned for, Sakura left her white coat in her office and headed over to the Hokage Tower, taking the steps quickly as she ascended to the correct floor.

When she knocked at the door and was called in, she was surprised to see Shizune and Naruto in addition to Shikamaru and Kakashi. "Come in, Sakura, and close the door behind you," Kakashi said in a kind voice, his eyes smiling.

Closing the door, Sakura came to stand in front of Kakashi's large desk. Unsure of what was going on but sensing it was serious, Sakura just looked from face to face before focusing on Kakashi.

"You've been a subject of hot debate in this office over the last several weeks," Kakashi began in a light voice. Sakura blinked—why had they been talking about her? "Naruto and Shizune have both approached me with concerns about you."

Sakura flashed a brief stare at Naruto and Shizune in turn, biting her tongue. She couldn't believe the two of them had gone to the Hokage about her. Finally, she said, "That was completely unnecessary. I'm fine."

Naruto snorted, and Shizune gave her an apologetic look before saying, "You're not fine, Sakura. You've gone from snapping at everyone around you to practically dragging your feet through the halls. You're still working too much." Gently, she asked, "When was the last time you actually enjoyed your job?"

Sakura flushed with something akin to embarrassment. "Of course I enjoy my job," she replied weakly. "It's an important—"

"Who cares if it's important?" Naruto blurted, cutting her off. "You don't enjoy it—you don't enjoy anything anymore! Sakura-chan, none of us want to see you like this!"

Sakura frowned. "I'm sorry I'm not _happy_ enough for you," she couldn't stop herself from saying bitterly.

Kakashi held up a gloved hand, his eyes still creasing in that bland smile he was known for. "Suffice to say that people are concerned about you. I've grown concerned myself." Pausing, he studied her for a moment before saying, "I'm not sure that the hospital is the right place for you anymore."

Sakura's eyes grew wide as panic lanced through her, her heartbeat rushing in her ears. Was she being fired? After everything, she couldn't take that, too. "Hokage-sama—"

"Maa, you know I don't like when you call me that," he said ruefully, interrupting just as surely as Naruto had. "As I was saying, I'm not sure that the hospital is the right place for you anymore. However, in my eminent wisdom—" a note of sarcasm entered his voice, "—I have made the decision that Naruto, as the next Hokage and one of the people who knows you best, is best suited to solve your particular problem."

When Sakura turned to face Naruto, there was a serious look on his face that did nothing to settle the twisting feeling in her stomach. He began talking—something about post-war Konoha and its allies, Sakura wasn't really sure. The panic that she felt was making it hard to listen, and she struggled to focus just in time to hear him continue, "So, it's really important for Konoha to continue to work with other villages in order to maintain the peace we've established."

Naruto paused, giving her a questioning look, as if to ask if she was keeping up. Frowning slightly, Sakura said, "I'm sorry, but I don't understand what this has to do with me." Beside Naruto, Shizune had a carefully blank expression, and behind his desk Kakashi looked... a little bored, actually.

"I'm getting to that," Naruto replied. "See, one of the ways that we maintain good relations with other parts of the ninja world are through special envoys. They represent Konoha abroad, working to both maintain our existing relationships as well as create new ones. Of course, since envoys travel so much, it's not always a suitable position for older or married ninja."

Sakura just stared at him, still not understanding why she was getting an impromptu lesson in diplomacy. Naruto, Shizune, and Kakashi all looked at her expectantly, but whatever they were expecting her to get just wasn't sinking in. All she could think about was whether—on top of losing Deidara—she was losing her job, too.

Clearing his throat, Kakashi said, "Naruto has thoroughly convinced me that you will make an excellent special envoy for Konoha. I'll give you a few specific assignments, but the rest of the time, your only job will be to rest. I expect you to treat this like a vacation. After all, being an envoy is what allowed Tsunade to spend all those years drinking and gambling. This is hardly unprecedented." Thumbing his masked chin thoughtfully, he added, "I think a year will be a good amount of time. After that, I expect you to come home and check in."

Finally beginning to understand what was happening, Sakura gaped at Kakashi, not quite believing what he was telling her.

"One other thing," Naruto added, drawing her attention back to him. "A special envoy has one other duty: in addition to helping to maintain current alliances, we need you to be on the lookout for future allies to Konoha and advise the Hokage accordingly. As such, you're allowed—no, _expected_ —to make contact with lots of new people, in order to find us new friends." Finally, the serious look on his face disappeared as he grinned broadly. "That includes people who may currently be considered enemies of the state, if you deem them worthy of consideration."

Enemies of the state—that would include a missing-nin like Deidara. A powerful, fiery hope bloomed in Sakura's chest, but she found herself unable to form words.

"Of course, I'll make the final decisions about who Konoha creates an alliance with," Kakashi continued. "But you are being given an extraordinary amount of trust, Sakura."

"I can't think of anyone who deserves it more," Shizune said quietly, a gentle smile on her face.

What she was being offered finally began to sink in. Without her express permission, tears sprang to Sakura's eyes, and she drew a shuddering breath. She whispered, "Can I really just... go? What about the hospital?"

"Konoha isn't a prison," Kakashi said, that kind smile back in his eyes. "You're not the first shinobi who has felt the need to... explore."

"And the hospital will manage without you," Shizune added.

One fat, hot tear rolled down her cheek, and Sakura quickly wiped it away, asking, "When do I leave?"

Kakashi shrugged, back to being Konoha's most relaxed Hokage. "Whenever you're ready to go." Naruto's grin looked like it was going to burst off of his face, and Shizune's smile had grown as well.

"Thank you," Sakura whispered hoarsely, and then cleared her throat, repeating louder, " _Thank you._ "

"I have such great ideas," Naruto said smugly, folding his arms.

"You're dismissed," Kakashi said in a vaguely cheerful voice. "Don't forget to send in monthly reports."

When Sakura just stood there, still reeling from everything, Naruto coughed loudly to get her attention. "Better go get ready. Don't you have somewhere to be?"

Somewhere to be—Sakura's heart leapt into her throat at the thought. Over a month had passed since she'd seen Deidara last. Was there a possibility that he'd waited for her?

It didn't matter. What mattered was that she had a chance. "Thank you," she blurted again, and overcome with emotion and sudden flurry of mental planning, Sakura bowed. When she straightened, she flashed them all a shaky, hopeful smile and then turned on her heel and practically bolted from the room. She had packing to do, and goodbyes to say.

Because she _did_ have somewhere to be, and someone to see—if it wasn't too late for her to catch him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There it is, the only chapter of this story that doesn't take place in No Man's Land! Because of that I almost decided to try and remove this chapter entirely, but I thought it was an important step for Sakura. Sorry this week's chapter was a little late. I will do my best to ensure that the next chapter—which is also the last chapter—comes out on time!


	14. The way you come back to me

From the moment Sakura was told that she was becoming a special envoy of Konoha, and that she could leave as soon as she was ready, she was on edge. In the days that followed, as she got her affairs together and said goodbye to her family and friends, that edgy feeling only built—and in the back of her mind, a little tally kept track of how long it had been since she'd seen Deidara.

Even with Ino chattering away while they both stood in Sakura's bedroom, setting aside clothes for different seasons so that they could be packed into storing scrolls, that little voice in the back of her mind whispered _It's been one month and five days since you saw him_. They had nearly always seen each other a month apart—and now that a month had passed without her returning to No Man's Land, Deidara was surely gone, if he had even bothered to wait for her in the first place.

"What if I can't find him?" Sakura suddenly said quietly into the room, interrupting whatever Ino had been talking about.

Ino crossed the room and took Sakura's shoulders in her hands, shaking her once. "Enough of that. You're going to find him, because you're Haruno Sakura, and you get things done."

"Maybe," Sakura sighed.

Although Ino's belief in her had heartened her somewhat, Sakura couldn't shake that lingering edginess as the days passed in planning, until she was standing in front of the gates of Konoha ready to depart, her mind whispering _It's been one month and one week since you saw him_. Naruto stood beside her, smiling into the morning, as if he said goodbye to her every day. She'd said her farewells to everyone else already, but Naruto had insisted on being there to see her off.

Sakura turned to look at him. "This is it."

Naruto met her gaze, still smiling. "You can come home whenever you need to."

"I know," Sakura said, nodding once.

Naruto wrapped her in a bear hug, squeezing almost too tightly for comfort. "Be careful, Sakura-chan. Tell Deidara I'll kill him if he lets anything happen to you."

"I don't even know if I'll be with him," Sakura protested.

Naruto released her, holding her out so that he could look at her, and he had that dazzling smile on his face again. "Keep telling yourself that."

"But what if I can't find him?" Sakura said, echoing her question to Ino—the same question that had been galloping in circles around her brain for the last week.

"Then you'll look somewhere else until you do," Naruto responded in a carefree tone. "Don't worry, Sakura-chan. I have complete faith in you."

The way he believed in her, just like Ino—just like Kakashi and Shizune, and her parents when she'd told them she was leaving—brought a misty-eyed smile to her face. She had so much here in Konoha. "I'm not stupid for leaving, am I?"

Naruto's face finally got serious. "If you didn't leave now, I think you would regret it for the rest of your life." He let that sink in before he continued, "Don't worry about Konoha, Sakura-chan. It's not going anywhere, and neither are the people who love you. Besides, how are you going to figure out if you love _him_ if you don't go after him?"

Biting her lip, Sakura impulsively hugged him again and then backed away, blinking swiftly to avoid tears. "Okay, I have to go before I start crying."

Naruto gave a comical pout. "If you cry, I'll cry."

Laughing, Sakura turned and said over her shoulder, "Take care of everyone for me!"

As she ran off down the road to Suna—the road that would lead her to where No Man's Land sat on the border between countries—Naruto called out, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do twice!"

The smile on Sakura's face broadened as she faced forward, and that part of her that had been so on edge calmed a little as she began down the path that she hoped would take her to Deidara.

* * *

It was late afternoon when Sakura arrived at No Man's Land, out of breath. She knew that Deidara was likely gone by now—that No Man's Land was likely just her first stop on the path to find him—but she hadn't been able to stop herself from using more of her chakra than usual to fuel her speed, as if she could in one day make up for all of the days that they'd been apart.

She skidded to a stop as the bar and inn came into view, her lips parting in surprise as she stared at the building. One corner of the building that overlooked the courtyard below was completely destroyed, with sheets of plastic covering the areas where whole walls had been blown out. She couldn't see much behind the plastic, but she didn't miss the charred edges of the holes they covered.

Sakura's eyes flitted from between the destroyed corner of the building and the courtyard below, making measurements with her eyes, her stomach twisting with anxiety as she verified what she'd first feared—the charred, plastic-shrouded mess was the wreckage of the room she and Deidara had shared.

Energy renewed by a flood of foreboding, Sakura ran toward the large wooden door that led into the bar. It must have been too early for the usual crowd of evening drinkers because the large room was mostly empty as she sped inside, going straight for the bar in the center of the room. Bypassing a regular bartender who looked at her curiously, Sakura made her way to the man that she knew to be both the head bartender and owner of No Man's Land.

"What happened to the room that got destroyed?" she demanded breathlessly, completely forgetting to be polite.

The owner paused in the act of polishing a clean glass, raising his eyebrows. Looking as if he was debating his answer, he finally replied, "A particular guest happened. I think you know the one."

"Was anyone hurt?" she asked quickly.

"Just the building," the owner replied stiffly, as if that should've been enough for her to be concerned.

Sakura chewed on her lip, not sure how to ask her next question, her stomach in knots. No Man's Land had an unknown number of guardian-nin who had always seemed very competent to Sakura. They were mostly there to break up fights, but they would've no doubt taken exception to someone blowing up one of their rooms. Something told Sakura that their ire could be lethal. She quietly asked, "Was the perpetrator... punished?"

There was another of those pauses as the owner sized her up. Sakura fought the impulse to squirm beneath his gaze. Sighing, he finally said, "He was kicked out. I would've banned him if he hadn't returned the next morning to pay double what it's going to cost to repair everything."

A flood of relief rushed over Sakura. He was okay. As her worry for him faded, embarrassment replaced it. When she and Deidara had fought, she had been the angry one—he'd seemed surprisingly calm. Now she knew he'd just been holding it in and had clearly exploded once she'd left.

Leaning against the bar, the owner took on a friendlier posture, giving her the same gleaming-eyed look that Ino gave her when she was on the trail of a particularly salacious piece of gossip. "Any idea what set him off?" The knowing look in his eyes told her he already knew.

Sakura flushed, not answering the question. Instead, she asked, "Has he been back here since then?"

"Nope," the owner answered. "I usually only see him about every six months, if that. His more frequent visits of late were quite out of character for him." Raising a brow, he looked at her pointedly.

Now Sakura _did_ squirm a little under his gaze. Deciding that if she was going to find Deidara she was going to need help, she took a chance in asking for more information. "I need to find him. Do you know where he went?"

"No idea," he replied.

Sakura's face fell. She'd known it probably wouldn't be that easy, but she'd still held out hope that she'd be able to track Deidara down quickly. "If you hear anything about him, could you let me know?"

"You know, the second rule of No Man's Land is what happens here stays here," he said, lifting his brows. There was a quirk at the corner of his mouth that told her he was holding back a smile—or maybe a smirk.

"Then why have you told me so much already?" she said, smiling a little herself.

Lifting one shoulder casually as he picked up another clean glass to polish, the owner said, "I thought you were a cute couple." Before Sakura could reply, he added, "I'll let you know if I hear anything, but your best bet is to start talking to the other people that come through here and see if they've seen him. Most of them are going to be pretty tightlipped, so I hope you're ready to buy a lot of drinks."

Sakura's smile grew. At least there was one person at No Man's Land who was on her side. "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you."

Brushing off her gratitude, he placed the now-spotless glass on the shelf behind him, and when he turned back around, he was all business again. "Will you be getting a room? I'm afraid our biggest suite isn't available—" at this, he gave her another pointed look, "—but there are plenty of smaller rooms."

"Yes, please," Sakura said with an apologetic wince. She made a note to herself: in the future, it would probably be wise not to upset Deidara and leave him in a place that she _didn't_ want blown up.

* * *

Over the next week, Sakura began employing the skills that would serve her well as an envoy of Konoha—namely, the ability to charm people. The persona she showed the patrons of No Man's Land contained a little bit of Ino's sly charm, and a little bit of Tsunade's bluster, combined with a cleverness that was all her own. There was even a bit of Deidara's influence in the occasional profanity that she let slip. Still, the combination was very effective, and she was able to get a fair amount of patrons to give her information just through talking alone.

However, every night at the bar she still ended up buying a lot of drinks, just as the owner had suggested. Although Kakashi had supplied her with enough money to more than cover her for the duration of her trip, she used money from her own savings to buy the drinks, not feeling right about spending Konoha's diplomatic funds on trying to track Deidara down. Even if talking to people was literally part of her job now, she knew that this was for her, and not for Konoha.

Unfortunately, none of her efforts bore any fruit—at least, not at first. None of the ninja who would talk to her had any information about a blonde man riding a bird construct, no matter how many drinks she bought them.

However, on her third night at No Man's Land, she approached the bar in order to hear one very specific phrase that made her ears perk up—and that phrase was "blown the fuck up."

"What did you just say?" she asked the man who had said it, who immediately gave her a doubtful look.

"Who the fuck are you?" he fired back.

"I'm sorry, I'm being rude," Sakura quickly responded, forcing herself to calm down. "Let me buy you a drink to make up for it. My name is Sakura."

She ended up buying a round for the man as well as his two comrades. It took some time, but she eventually got them to repeat the story she'd walked up on, and it made her pulse quicken. Apparently, there was a rumor coming out of the Earth Country that somewhere on the border, east of Iwagakure, there had been an explosive confrontation in an area known to be thick with bandits. None of the bandits had survived—in fact, all that had been left of the area was a charred crater.

"Do you know who the bandits were fighting?" she asked, signaling the bartender for another round.

"No idea," said the man as the other two shook their heads.

"Are you heading back to that area soon? You see, I'm looking for someone and I think he might've been involved..."

Sakura certainly wasn't subtle in her efforts to uncover Deidara's location. In fact, as the nights passed, there wasn't a traveler that passed through the inn without learning that someone was looking for a man matching Deidara's description. She knew that being so public about her inquiries would only draw attention to her—potentially attention of the kind that she didn't want—but the more attention there was on her, the more likely it was that word would eventually reach Deidara's ears. That was her hope, anyway.

She still made sure never to use his actual name. If the Konoha Bingo Books all listed him as dead, it was a good bet that the rest of the ninja world still officially thought that as well, and the last thing Sakura wanted to do was bring heat down on Deidara's head.

That night when she got back to her room, Sakura released a storing scroll and pulled out a large map of the ninja world that she had brought with her. Studying the area surrounding Iwagakure that the men in the bar had talked about, she traced her finger due east and then placed a marker on the border. She wouldn't know that it was exactly where the bandit fight had happened, but it was close enough for now.

It wasn't much of a lead to go on, but it was something. After that, when Sakura talked to people in the bar, she made sure to pay extra attention to anyone who had been in Earth Country, especially if they had been near its border.

On her fifth night of asking questions about Deidara to anyone who would listen, an older man spoke up in a gruff voice and said, "I ain't been anywhere near Iwa, but I'm pretty sure I saw the kid you're looking for in River Country."

Sakura approached the man, her doubt surely showing on her face. If Deidara had been near Iwa in Earth Country, why would he be as far south as River Country? Of course, maybe the "sighting" in Earth Country hadn't been Deidara at all.

Her thoughts were interrupted as the man spoke again, removing all of her doubt. "Yellow-haired kid with mouths in his hands, right?" As Sakura's eyes lit up, he chuckled. "Thought that might get yer attention."

"You really saw him," Sakura breathed, elated.

"Told you I did, didn't I? Buy an old man a drink and I'll tell you about it," he replied, smiling a gap-toothed smile.

Sliding onto the stool next to him, Sakura obliged by ordering a round for both of them. Once the drinks were delivered, the man began to talk. Apparently, he'd been at a bar on the coast of River Country and had overheard several low-level nin planning to ambush another man sitting at the bar—a young man with long blonde hair, who'd flown in on some sort of big white bird.

"Now, you ask me, a group of people ganging up on one person ain't right," the man said, leaning closer, as if he was imparting a secret. "So, I decided I'd warn him. He appreciated it so much he decided to buy me a round, just like you're doing right now."

Sakura's mind was racing. "Do you know where he was headed?"

"He didn't talk about that. Didn't talk much at all, actually. We were both in more of a drinking mood, you feel me?" The man raised his eyebrows and took a long drink, as if to punctuate his point.

Sakura thought about that for a moment, and then hesitantly asked, "How did he... seem?" She immediately felt kind of stupid for asking such a vague question.

The old man only laughed. "How the hell do I know?" Pausing, he seemed to actually consider it for a moment as he watched her. "I know he definitely seemed like he was in the mood to drink. Maybe that has something to do with you, eh?" He laughed again.

Flushing, Sakura focused on taking a long drink of her own sake. When she'd recovered, she resumed questioning the man, but that was the end of the information he held. Still, she was so glad to have a solid lead on Deidara that she told the bartender to put anything the old man drank on her tab, thanking him again before she headed upstairs for the night.

Back in her room, she added another marker to her map, frowning at it. The two markers where Deidara had been sighted were far from each other, each equidistant from No Man's Land, but in different directions. There was no rhyme or reason that could be sussed out from where he'd been—the placement of the markers seemed as chaotic as Deidara himself. They told her nothing of where he would be now.

Throwing herself back on the bed with an explosive sigh, Sakura scowled up at the ceiling. The little part of her brain that kept track of how long it had been since she'd seen Deidara whispered _It's been one month, one week, and five days since you saw him_. She couldn't stay here and wait for him forever—eventually she needed to get on the road. She just didn't know where to go.

It would be a long time before she fell asleep.

* * *

After that, Sakura got a few more tips, but nothing as certain as what the old man had told her. She heard of a particularly smart-mouthed man passing through this border, or the report of an explosion at that bar. Nothing that could be pinned exclusively to Deidara, but carried the strong suggestion of him, and every time, Sakura added a new marker to her map.

_It's been one month, two weeks, and one day_ _since you saw him._ Sakura was in her room, sitting comfortably in the middle of her bed in a shirt and panties. When she'd visited the bar that night, only a few regulars had been drinking, and she'd come back to her room with the thought that she could at least be comfortable if she was going to waste her time.

Talking to people was only getting her so far. It was time to try to delve into _why_ Deidara had gone the places he had—and that's why she was currently surrounded by every political reference book and scroll that she had brought with her. Information on both Earth Country and River Country—the two strongest leads she had—littered the mattress around her, and in her lap was a fresh scroll that she'd been taking harried notes in.

She was going to have to leave No Man's Land soon, there was no doubt about that. If Deidara was on the move, then she needed to be on the move, too, if she wanted to have any hope of catching him. The good news was that on the road was exactly where she was supposed to be right now as a special envoy; she just had to figure out where she was the most likely to cross Deidara's path.

Sakura had just written, 'Working with anti-government factions in Earth Country???' in her notes when there was a knock at the door. "What?" she snapped, raising herself up on her knees. As the knocking annoyingly continued, she attempted to crawl off the bed without disturbing her notes in the process.

Sakura grumbled under her breath as she padded to the bathroom to grab the robe she'd brought with her. Throwing it around herself and cinching it tight, she growled as there was yet another knock and yelled, "I'm coming!" as she trotted to the door. Throwing open the door, she drew a breath in preparation for yelling at whomever was on the other side, but that breath caught in her throat.

Deidara stood on the other side. His hair was still pulled into the ponytail he wore while flying or fighting, windswept and fresh from outside. There was a furrow between his brows and the corners of his mouth were tugging downward. He didn't look happy to see her.

Anxiety and surprise flooded through her in equal measure. She'd spent so much time talking to people and doing research in the hopes of seeing him again, and there he was, just like that. She didn't know how to react.

There were so many things that she'd planned to say to him—sometimes she'd thought that she'd explode with happiness when she saw him again, while other times she thought that she'd yell at him about putting her in this situation in the first place, making her worry that the last time she'd see him would be when she'd broken things off. Her mind raced, and she struggled to remember any of her carefully prepared speeches.

Instead, she just stared at him for a long moment, her heart thudding in her chest. Finally, she said, "I've been looking for you."

There was a certain defensiveness on his face; he looked like he was on guard. "I heard, yeah."

They just stood there and stared at each other for a long moment. Sakura was still unsure what to say, where to begin explaining—especially when she wasn't even sure if he still felt the same way about her. Still, having him there in front of her was what she had wanted more than anything, and so the one thought that rose above the others spilled from her lips in a whisper. "I missed you."

For a brief moment, Deidara's face softened, but then a steely determination filled his eyes and he moved toward her. His hands flew up, cupping her head as he tilted it up and slanted his mouth over hers. Sakura made a little noise of surprise against his lips, but in the next moment she was melting into him, her hands resting on his chest and tightening in his shirt to pull him closer.

Deidara's kiss was filled with a furious longing that took Sakura's breath away, and Sakura kissed him back with every bit of the feelings she had been holding inside for so long. He finally broke away from her mouth, his breath heavy as he touched his forehead to hers and gritted out, "You're damned right you missed me."

Without another word, he kicked the door shut behind him and then kissed her again, which was exactly what Sakura had hoped he would do. He spun them both around and had her pressed up against the door before she could even process what had happened, and she didn't care—all she cared about was kissing him and feeling his body pressed against hers. When his mouth moved down to her neck and murmured, "Do you want me to stop?" she just twined her fingers in his hair and pulled him back for another desperate, bruising kiss.

Both of them touched each other hungrily, their hands everywhere. His opening her robe and pushing it off her shoulders. Hers pulling his shirt and mesh armor over his head. His pushing up under her shirt, the other sliding into her panties. Hers unfastening his pants and reaching inside.

She curled her fingers around his cock even as his hand and its wicked tongue went to work between her legs, and never once did he stop kissing her. When the mouth in his other hand closed around her nipple and made her gasp, he just nipped her lower lip in response. Feeling how wet she was getting, feeling the way her need for him made her want to crawl out of her skin, she desperately said, "I need you inside me. _Now_."

"Fuck," Deidara uttered, his voice thick with desire, and then he was yanking her panties down until she could step out of them, leaving her in nothing more than a thin and badly rumpled shirt. He didn't hesitate in picking her up and pinning her against the thankfully solid door, humming into her ear when she reached down between them to guide him into her waiting heat.

As he pressed his thick length into her, Sakura let her head fall back against the door, releasing a whimpered moan into the air at the feeling of him filling her completely. Deidara brushed his mouth against her throat as he kept her pinned, moving slowly in her at first, and then speeding up when her hands tightened on his shoulders, urging him on, until he was pumping into her, sending waves of the pleasure she had longed for licking through her body. One of her hands reached blindly to tangle in his hair, pulling, and he growled and bit the place where her neck curved into her shoulder, making her moan and tighten around him.

It was everything she had missed—no, it was more. She hadn't known it would be like _this_ , that after not knowing if she would see him again, her whole body would crave him in a way that she had never experienced before. And now that she had him back in her arms, it felt like all of her desire had broken through the wall that her worries and reservations had created, and it was flooding her. 

"Deidara, more," she pleaded, knowing she needed him faster, harder. He seemed to understand, pulling out of her briefly in order to turn them both and carry her to the bed. Ignoring the random papers and scrolls that were strewn across it, he threw her in a relatively empty spot and then braced himself over her, his eyes smoldering as he pushed back into her. Sakura arched her back at the feeling, reaching up for him as she whimpered, "I want to feel you come."

" _Fuck_ ," he said in a roughened voice, and she was unsurprised to hear how her commands were affecting him. "You first, yeah." One of his hands closed around her left breast, its mouth suckling her nipple even as his other hand reached down between her legs. Without waiting for her to reply he began to fuck her again, harder and rougher than before. 

She was lost to sensation, overwhelmed by it. As he pushed her higher and higher, hitting just the right spot inside of her while the tongue in his palm did wicked things to her clit, he hissed heated words into her ear, half profanity and half compliment. Throbbing around him, Sakura raked her nails down his back, clinging to him as their sweat-slicked bodies moved against each other.

"Deidara—" Sakura keened as she got closer, closer, until she finally fell over the edge, gasping and shuddering as her orgasm blasted through her, wave after wave destroying any ability to form words.

As she came around him Deidara grunted, his thrusts growing ragged and rough as he did his best to hold out, but when Sakura moaned his name again, he lost himself, grinding against her as he came, filling her with his warmth. He shuddered as her hands gentled and smoothed back up his back to stroke at the mussed silken strands of his hair.

With her arms and legs wrapped around him, Sakura turned her head to press a kiss to his cheek, both of them still trembling and panting from their exertions. Deidara lifted his head and kissed her briefly, his breath still quick, and finally lifted himself off of her, carelessly knocking scrolls and papers to the floor before settling in beside her. Sakura lifted one arm and pulled off the random paper that was stuck to the back of it, giggling.

Deidara's eyebrows raised as he finally took in the mess they'd made of the bed. "Look at all this stuff." He looked pointedly at the map on the wall, where she'd marked all of the places she thought he'd been. "Can't believe you looked this hard just because you missed fucking me."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. She wanted to tell him that it was much more than that, but something about the slightly sulky tone in his voice combined with his hubris made it hard for her to admit that. "You know, your dick isn't _that_ amazing."

"Yes, it is," he replied without missing a beat, and it rankled her that she found herself unable to argue. "It's the reason you came back, isn't it?" Now his bottom lip was poking out slightly and the furrow in his brow had reappeared.

"I can't believe you're actually pouting right now," Sakura said in disbelief. She could literally feel him leaking out of her right now—possibly on some very important documents—and he was _pouting_.

"I am not pouting," he fired back, definitely still pouting.

"Yes, you are," she argued. Why was she arguing with him? Why wasn't she just telling him everything? She knew he was only being pouty because he thought she was going to leave again. Her tone gentling, she began, "Deidara, I—"

But Deidara was standing, yanking his pants back up around his hips, his back to her. "Well, I guess that's it, yeah," he said, as if she hadn't spoken.

Sakura sat up, frowning. "Where do you think you're going?"

He sent her an evasive look over his shoulder. "I've got shit to do."

"We haven't even talked yet!" she protested.

"We've already had this conversation," he said, still not facing her as he took a step to pick his mesh armor and shirt off of the floor. "I ask you to go with me, and you say no. I don't need to hear it again, yeah."

"Deidara—" she tried to begin again.

He ignored her, grumbling as he pulled on the armor. "Shoulda known a village nin would be too tied down to do anything like that." He continued as he pulled his cropped shirt over it, sounding like he was talking to himself. "I'm surprised they didn't lock you up for hanging out with me in the first place."

That pissed her off, and she finally got a word in edgewise. "You don't know what you're talking about! Konoha is—"

Deidara spun to face her, cutting her off. "The cage that holds you? No shit. I really don't want to—"

"No! Shut up!" Sakura was on her feet now, poking him in the chest. He was going to listen to her, damn it. "You don't get to sit there and pout and tell me what Konoha is and act like you're some long-suffering genius who is so much smarter than the rest of us!" Deidara blinked, finally quiet as she ranted at him. "You don't get to sulk about me breaking things off with you! You asked me to just up and leave my village, Deidara. My _life_. You didn't give me any time to think about it. Of course I said no."

Frowning, he asked, "Then why the hell are you asking me back here now?"

"Because—" Sakura broke off, flailing her hands. "—because we're good together! We're so fucking good together, and I didn't believe it at first, but you know I'm right! And after I left…" Turning abruptly, Sakura paced a few steps, groping for the words she needed. "I felt horrible. I was angry. Everyone was worried about me. I got _suspended_ from my _job_." Sakura chewed on her lip, unsure if he would understand what a big deal that was. Sighing, she continued, "I wasn't angry anymore after I talked to Naruto—then I was just sad."

She finally turned to face him again, and when she saw that he was still scowling, that just set her off again. He opened his mouth to say something, but she beat him to it. "It was hell! And you're still over there pouting! You're so quick to insult Konoha, but it was my village that was there for me—my village that saw that I was missing something that I needed. And Naruto really came through for me—for _you_ , even. Because it's not just that I'm allowed to leave the village, it's also that I'm allowed to talk to anyone, even missing-nin—" Sakura knew she was rambling now, but now that the words had started, they were hard to stop.

Deidara looked completely confused now, and he interrupted her to say, "Sakura, what the fuck are you talking about?"

"I'm trying to tell you!" Sakura nearly yelled, flailing again.

Deidara flailed back, his hands snapping their teeth in irritation. "So tell me, damn it!"

Sakura growled. "I'm a special envoy now! Naruto thought I needed time away from the village, and he convinced Kakashi-sensei to let me go…" Deidara's eyes lit up with dawning understanding. Sakura barreled on, "And it's not forever but I don't have to check in for a while, and even then Kakashi-sensei didn't say it had to be over, and—"

Sakura's words trailed off as she watched a wide smile spread over Deidara's face. "You're gonna come with me, yeah," he said, softly, like he didn't really believe it yet—but his smile was only growing.

Now, it was Sakura who pouted a little. "Well, not if you're going to say bad things about Konoha all the time."

Deidara laughed, completely unaffected by her pout, and grabbed her by the shoulders. "You're going to come with me! I knew I liked that demon fox kid." Before she could respond, he pulled her into him, wrapping his arms around her.

"I'll still have duties that I have to take care of," she said into his shoulder, even as she closed her eyes and leaned into him. When his hands smoothed down her back she sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Had me going there for a minute," Deidara murmured into her hair. "I really thought you just got me back here so we could fuck and you could yell at me."

Sakura jerked her head back and frowned at him even as he grinned at her. "Well, I would have told you but then you kissed me and—other things—and then you were just being annoying and…" Deidara started laughing again. "Stop laughing at me!"

There was a smile of pure affection on his face as his hands fell to her hips, squeezing. "I missed you too, hellcat."

Hearing him call her that again—even after the last time, when she'd told him not to in a fit of anger—made her soften again. "I've always liked it when you call me that."

"I know." The sheer confidence in his answer made her giggle a little in spite of herself, and his smile widened back into a grin. "I also knew you liked me too much to let me go."

Sakura stuck her nose into the air. "I'm not the one who blew up a building because we broke up," she said, her tone disapproving.

Drawing back slightly, Deidara shrugged, examining the lacquered nails on one hand in a show of indifference that she didn't believe. "It seemed like a good idea at the time, yeah. Anyway—" he said pointedly, clearly ready to change the subject, "—that's besides the point. You're coming with me," he repeated with great relish. "We'll leave tomorrow. I already know the first place I want to take you, yeah."

"Tomorrow?" Sakura cast a look over the room, making a face. Honestly, she was getting tired of being there. "I can be cleaned up and ready to go in an hour. Why do we have to wait until tomorrow?"

To her amusement, Deidara quickly pulled both of his tops back over his head and then pushed her back toward the bed with a grin. "Because I'm not done reminding you of how much you missed me yet."

Leaning back onto the bed, Sakura stopped, hesitant, not sure if she was ready to say anything more. Still, she spoke up. "Deidara. There are other things… that I don't know if I'm ready to say yet. But…" When she didn't continue, his smile softened, and he cupped her face in his hand. She could feel the mouth in his palm press itself to her cheek.

"It's okay, hellcat. We've got time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's a wrap! This was always how No Man's Land was going to end, even in the beginning when it was going to be a one-shot, because I feel like starting a new adventure was the best place to leave them. I want to thank everyone who took the time to review and encourage me—it was a real joy to publish this story because of all the sweet and kind reviews I got.
> 
> A few people have asked about a sequel. I love writing for these two and I have had some ideas, so it's definitely a BIG possibility! However, I do have a rather large kakasaku story that I've been trying to finish, so no promises about when. Sorry! 
> 
> Thanks for reading, everybody! It's been a pleasure!


End file.
